#close and longtime friends alike know of the ups and downs that have happened

[shiningstages]

August 2011...The first time I tried rping on this site...I just realized it’s been 11 years...

[anthrotographer]

Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962)

Directed by: Agnès Varda

Daises (1966)

Directed by: Věra Chytilová

Sorry for the long scroll. This is an essay I did for a class about a year ago. It was on two women directed foreign films Cleo from 5 to 7 and Daises. In the paper I get into a lot of the similarities between the films and what they do well, but I don’t get to really give my opinion on them. Both the Czech Daises and French Cleo are wonderfully unique. Daises was chaotic, fun, and plotless. I really had to work to eek out some meaning from that one. Cleo from 5 to 7 caught me by surprise of how much I loved it. It’s one of the best films I’ve ever watched. I don’t always judge films objectively like I ought to. Usually if there is an extremely stuck up, narcissistic lead character in a movie it turns me off. I’m not really interested in seeing personality types like that. Cleo from 5 to 7 breaks through for me though. The evolution of Cleo’s character is based so much on real experiences that I find it to be such a truthful story, with layers of weighty symbolism.

———————————————————————

The Timid Cleo and the Bold Daises

Through the Nineteen-sixties feminist movements could be seen sprouting all across the globe. The art, music, and filmmaking alike from these periods captured and spread these feminist ideals. Agnes Varda in France and Vera Chytilová in Czechoslovakia were women film directors who made films with women’s issues in mind. Varda’s Cleo from 5 to 7 is a slow, plot driven drama that follows, as David Cook puts it, “the life of a young pop singer who is waiting for a lab report that will tell her whether she has cancer” (Cook 370). Vera Chytilová ’s Daises appears to be a plot-less comedy headed by an anarchic female duo. Both films were made in patriarchal societies and appear to take place in them. The two films explore how their women protagonists deal with being seen as objects of beauty in these male dominated worlds. Cleo struggles with finding her self-worth outside of her superficiality and feels like maintaining her beauty is tied to that self-worth. Marie I and Marie II in Daises inversely have no questions about their self-worth and use their objectivity to their advantage. The Maries thus have less evolving to do in comparison to Cleo who’s journey it is to detach her pride from her beauty.

Cleo wallows in fear as she awaits the results of her biopsy. Everyone she would consider “close” to her, like her assistant, her boyfriend, and her pianist seem uninterested in her troubles or are unwilling to give her a comforting ear. That is until Cleo meets up with her old friend from art school, Dorothee. After a stressful day Cleo heads to the sculpting studio where Dorothee works as a nude model. As Cleo walks into the studio the camera appears to give us a first person shot from Cleo’s perspective. It’s a slow, apprehensive moving shot into the room where the sculpting is happening, giving us the feeling that Cleo is uncomfortable with what’s happening. Then we see Dorothee posing naked still in the middle of the class and she meets eyes with Cleo. She does not appear embarrassed in the slightest, on the contrary she is excited to see her friend. Cleo waits for Dorothee to finish her shift and get changed so they can walk out together. We learn as they talk that Cleo was in fact uncomfortable in the studio as she tells Dorothee that she would be “afraid people would find a fault” if that was her. Dorothee responds with one of the most profound quotes of the film and one that seems to stick with Cleo. Dorothee says “my body makes me happy, not proud” meaning that she can be happy about the way she looks without having her self-esteem or pride being affected by it. Through the first half of the film Cleo had been overtly concerned about her disease possibly affecting her appearance. This is exemplified by her constantly checking in mirrors to see if she is still pretty. It appears that to Cleo her beauty and fame are all she is good for. She sees herself through the patriarchal lens. For example, Cleo’s never present boyfriend shows up to her apartment for a quick chat in which he avoids the topic of her sickness and extols upon her beauty for five minutes until he leaves. Also, a few minutes later Bob, her pianist shows up and jokes about how he’s attracted to her because of her money. The possibility of a cancer diagnosis forces Cleo to start thinking the way Dorothee thinks. Allison Smith writes about Cleo’s cancer that “Her knowledge of its existence therefore obliges her to see herself differently, to take account of her own awareness” (Smith 97). This focus on the world outside of herself helps her find someone who actually cares about her and not just her good looks. That person is the soldier Antoine. Even though he finds her beautiful that is not the only aspect of Cleo that he is invested in. He cares about her health; the only other character in the film besides her longtime friend Dorothee that truly worries about her diagnosis. Cleo ultimately finds solace in the fact that she has made a real, non-superficial relationship with another human being. The protagonists in Daises also are involved in superficial relations, yet they do not perceive them as negative the way Cleo does.

The two young woman named Marie who headline the film Daises have no qualms about being objectified. Like Cleo, everywhere they go, they capture the gaze of men. The Maries are  comfortable within themselves enough to use their beauty as a tool for their own benefit. From the outset of the film the girls exclaim that they intend to spoil themselves, so using men for free dinners and then dropping them like used napkins afterwards naturally follows. One such occurrence happens in a scene where the red headed Marie is over at the apartment of some butterfly collecting pianist. The man creepily exclaims his love to her through a poem while Marie poses nude for him. He calls her Julie, giving us the impression that Marie gave him a false name, just like the Maries do with all the men they meet. Handing out false names shows the lack of commitment and respect they have for the men they toy with. Once Marie starts to put her bra back on, the pianist gets angry and says, “I wish you’d never come into my life!” Marie knows exactly how to play him though and the next thing he sees is Marie holding two framed butterflies over her exposed chest. The man completely reverts back to exclaiming his love for “Julie”. Marie uses this opportunity to ask for the one thing that the Maries always want, food. Women overeating is just one of the patriarchal taboos that Daises flips on its head.

The characters of this film go against the traditional patriarchal ideals of what women should be. Women are used to having their beauty be used against them and for the pleasure of men, but in Vera Chytilová ’s film the Maries use their beauty against men and for the pleasure of themselves. Traditionally women also have been forced into the submissive role in society, where they have to keep themselves composed and presentable constantly. To the Maries that is not even a thought that crosses their minds. They do not adhere to being the submissive ones, in fact they control the dialogue and direction of every interaction with men in the film. Laurel Harris seems to agree with me when he writes “…the Maries’ hysterical excess is a calculated response to inadequate roles in their society for individuals of their age and gender” (Harris 4). The duo also does not worry about seeming composed or mannerly when scoffing down pastries and appetizers in crowded restaurants. In antiquated gender roles women are made to watch how much they eat so they can maintain their figure, but at dinner with one of their suckers, one Marie asks the man “Are you on a diet?” I agree with Peter Hames assessment of Daises’ conception when he writes “Since women have been excluded from productive behavior, they have turned to art and play” (Hames 87). Hames is saying that Vera Chytilová ’s film is a reaction to woman being controlled for far too long. Whether Chytilová  set out to make a feminist film or not the end result for Daises is a film that does not judge its non-conformist female characters.

Cleo from 5 to 7 is more explicitly set in a male run society. Agnes Varda created a character in Cleo that starts off fully invested in that societal structure. Her happiness is tied up into her superficial being, but because of the cancer she is forced to take account of what truly is meaningful in her life. She starts to crave caring relationships with people who recognize her for more than just being a pretty pop star. Cleo finds the power within herself to break out of the caged existence of women in a male dominated society. Cleo at one point in the film rips off her wig and gives away her fashionable hat; two symbols of conventional female beauty. Cleo from 5 to 7 and Daises both represent women’s lives in these feministic ways.

The two women filmmakers Agnes Varda and Vera Chytilová end up making similar films in that they have themes of women empowerment. Yet, the way in which its illustrated in each film is drastically different. Chytilová’s Daises wastes no time in showing the viewer that women can be unapologetic anarchists. There is no preconception of womanhood that the Maries have to fight to overcome. They just are empowered women. Cleo from 5 to 7 shows the evolution that a particular woman has to make to escape from seeing herself as just an object. These films helped inspire a generation of women in not conforming to typical patriarchal standards.

 

 

Works Cited

Cook, David A. “Chapter 13.” A History of Narrative Film. W.W. Norton, 2016.

Hames, Peter. “The Golden Sixties: The Czechoslovak New Wave revisited.” Studies in

Eastern European Cinema, 2013.

Harris, Laurel. “Czech New Wave Cinema: The Children of Marx and Kafka.” PopMatters, PopMatters, 30 Mar. 2002.

Smith, Alison. “Agnes Varda.” Manchester and New York, Manchester University Press, 1998.

[selfwriting-sugarquills]

Your own kind. (George Weasley x reader)

Request: Would you do a George Weasley imagine of him dating Slytherin girl in the Golden Trios year for almost a year (their anniversary is the night of the Yule Ball) and during a detention with Umbridge she tries to get the reader to break up with George since she should “stick with her kind”, even though the reader is friends with the Gryffindors, apart of Dumbledore's army and her family is apart of the Order which only strengthens their relationship?

Word count: 1.6K

Warnings: mentions of blood, pain, Dolores Jane Umbridge should be a warning in herself. 

It had been more blissful than you’d initially thought it was going to be. Dating George Weasley, that is. You’d known him for a while; your parents were a part of the order and longtime friends of his parents. Despite being in Slytherin and two years below him, you and he had always gotten along well while you were at school. So well, in fact, that on the night of the Yule ball, George had confessed his true feelings for you. Feelings that you most certainly also had for him. Since then it’d been smooth sailing, you spent a lot of time at the Gryffindor table, not that that was uncommon for you. Everyday you and George seemed to fall for each other more. You were sharing every Hogsmeade trip, study hour and mealtime together, revelling in each other's company and when summer came, you kept in contact by owl daily. You’d been so excited to spend as much of George’s last year together when you’d come back on the first of September. 

Of course, you couldn’t know about the pink-clad monster that awaited you at Hogwarts. Umbridge quickly changed every little thing she could, seemingly just to make life hellish for students and staff alike until even the air in the castle seemed different: Heavy, quiet and always pungent with her overly sweet perfume. When she’d made it impossible for houses to mingle at mealtimes and you were forced to send disappointed waves to your friends at Gryffindor’s table instead of sitting with them like you usually did. George had reassured you that at least you could see each other between lessons. Then she’d banned girls and boys from being within six inches of each other (even though she was sure to separate anyone who as much as dared to sit with each other regardless of how close they were), banned girls from wearing trousers, forcing girls to wear skirts and extra pairs of stockings in the frigid Scottish winter. You and your friends were more than fed up when the DA was formed and you joined immediately, excited to finally have some time with your friends from Gryffindor, most of all George whom you’d rarely seen because of Umbridge’s apparent grudge against the twins, as they continued to retaliate her every rule with a new joke product from their fast-growing assortment. “Detention Mr Weasley and Mr Weasley! And you too miss Y/L/N!” Umbridge shrieked, still standing in the muddy slush that had come from Fred dropping their newest product: The portable swamp in the corridor of the fourth floor, “But Y/n wasn’t in on it!” George replied, stepping in front of you, “If you want us to sit in detention, that’s fine but she shouldn’t be punished for something she didn’t do!” behind him, you tugged at his sleeve, “George, please it’s fine. It doesn’t matter,” you whispered in an attempt to soothe your boyfriend’s rising temper but he yanked his arm free and crossed it with the other instead, not backing down from Umbridge’s glare, “I’m so sorry, Mr Weasley, but I find it very hard to believe that she was not involved in whatever has happened here, given that she was clearly with you when it happened,” Umbridge said, managing a stiff smile, “Pardon me, professor, but I don’t think you are sorry,” George said with a hardened expression on his face. At this point the tension in the corridor was so intense that you wanted nothing more than to drag George away in an attempt to escape whatever unpleasant consequences that were to come from all this. Umbridge looked as if she was about to explode for a fleeting moment before a twisted, blissful smile appeared on her face, “I think we’ll make that a weeks detention for the lot of you since you haven’t seemed to learn your lesson yet,” Umbridge said, “Y/n can start hers immediately,” she said, “I’ll see you in my office in fifteen minutes, miss Y/L/N,” She says, beginning to make her way out of the swampy water that was now up to her ankles, “Do not be late.” After George escorted you up to Umbridge’s office, using a long list of words his mother certainly would not approve of to complain about Umbridge’s punishment, you’d kissed him goodbye and promised him that it really wasn’t a big deal. It wasn’t long between you being let in by Umbridge, who had changed into a different though just as horrid set of vibrant pink robes, to you having the dreaded Black quill in your hand, scribbling the same sentences over and over, your hand’s old scar from your last detention being scratched open. You tried not to wince while you felt a warm drop of blood trail down the side of your hand, the cuts burning more intensely with every letter you wrote, “Your relations to Mr Weasley,” her words make you look up in surprise, normally she didn’t speak to you when you had detentions with her, she mostly just watched and sighed with content at every hiss of pain that escaped you, “I take it they are not entirely platonic?” she asks. Her back is turned to you as she stands by her window, looking out into the rainy evening, “He’s my boyfriend, professor,” you say in a quizzical tone, where on earth was this going? “Yes, well I think it would be best if you stopped seeing him for the foreseeable future,” Umbridge said, “I think it would be most beneficial for you to stick to your own kind in Slytherin house where such aggressive and barbaric exploits are more frowned upon, I would hate to see such a promising young woman be persuaded into the ranks of troublemakers with no future prospects, such as Mr Weasley and his brother,” she says in her saccharine voice. You sit and stare at her, eyes bulging in shock at her words. You don’t know how to react for a moment, before the anger inside you registers, “I’m sorry to disappoint you, professor, but I’m afraid I can’t do that,” You say, “Not only do I not particularly get along with “my own kind” as you so put it but I actually happen to prefer and even love spending my time doing such aggressive and barbaric exploits because at least it’s not submitting to the tyranny you’ve been holding down on us all since you’ve arrived,” you’ve risen from your seat, your fist clenched around the hem of your school bag causing it to ache and bleed more profusely but you hardly sense it, your face is burning with fury and though you’re shaking with fear and adrenaline of standing up to Umbridge, you feel a greater need to say what you’ve longed to say since the beginning of the year, “and I’m sorry, Dolores, that you’re so blinded by your hatred and your bigotry that you refuse to see beyond what your narrow little mind sees as valuable, because if you could, you’d see that troublemakers like the twins have bigger ideas and broader prospects than any of your little inquisitor’s squad have,” and with that you turn on your heel, knocking over her chair, and leave as quickly as possible. As soon as you exit Umbridge’s office you break into a sprint, nearly falling over when you turn a corner and almost bump into George, he looks puzzled that you’re already out but at the distinct clicks of Umbridge’s heels coming down the hallway behind you, you grab him and break into a run again. George, who’s developed a good radar for being on the run from authorities, doesn’t question you and easily keeps up with you as you run down a familiar set of corridors until you reach the door to the room of requirement, though when you burst through it you don’t find the DA’s headquarters but a normal supply closet, just big enough for the two of you to squeeze inside. “What was that about?” George asks, breathing heavily, you take a few steadying breaths before answering, “I may or may not have told off Umbridge just now,” you say, making George grin, “and I may or may not have knocked over her chair and stormed out before she’d excused me,” “oof,” George says suppressing a laugh, “I can’t say I feel bad for her though, the old bat deserves a lot more than being told off,” he says, “what’d she do to make you say something?” “She said I should stick to my own kind,” you reply, “instead of hanging out with you,” “And what did you say?” his smile widens, “That there’s not a chance in hell I’m going to give you up,” you step closer to him, standing on your tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips, “at least not for her sake,” George presses another kiss to your lips while his arms snake around your waist, pulling you closer, “Well that’s good to know because I’m not going going anywhere without you either,” he says, “on that note, you should come with me,” “George,” you start, it wasn’t the first time he’d suggested that you should leave with him, “I know, I know but you and I both know you’ll be happier if you come with us. You can be the first lady of the shop if you want?” he says, giving your waist a squeeze, “live with us above the shop, what do you say?” he begins to lean down, his face millimetres from yours when a set of footsteps approaching causes you to jump. You both freeze as Umbridge’s heels trot by followed by a shuffle of several feet, “I want you to search the entire castle if you have to! I have never heard such slander from a student until now, just wait until Cornelius hears about this she’ll be sorry, her and those twins!” Umbridge’s shrill voice rings through the corridor as she continues down the hallway and eventually, the scuttle becomes fainter until it completely disappears. You turn to George, shock painted on your face, “You know what? Leaving early doesn’t sound so bad after all.”

[omni-scient-pan-da]

And They Were Oar-Mates

A Fic About The Oars by omni-scient-pan-da

Except their story is ever so slightly different because they're people since I really have no clue how to start a love story between two typically inanimate objects (Edit: Find All Parts HERE)

They had known each other since they were children.

Grown up in the same forest, two boys, growing up side by side. They started off as friends, both too scared to confess their feelings to one another, til the day their home was invaded, the trees cut down, and their small little town invaded by warlocks and barbarians alike, the now 20 something best friends afraid for their lives.

"... Ian?" Rowan asked as the trees around them got cut down one by one, invaders storming into their once peaceful viliage. "What's going to happen to us?"

"... I don't know Row," Killian told him, sounding nervous for once in his life. "I... I don't know."

"If we're going to die... Then... Then I'm really glad I got to know you," Rowan replied, scared for their lives.

"Row... I... I need to tell you something... If... If this is the end..."

"Y-yeah?" Rowan asked him, terrified of what his best friend and longtime crush might say.

"... I love you Row... I always have... You're my best friend and I... I don't want to die without telling you how much I love you," Killian said, terrified to hear Rowan's response.

Rowan sniffled, "Y-you do?" He asked, his voice small with a hint of hope hidden in his tone.

"Yeah... I have since we were children I think... I couldn't have asked for someone better to grow up with," Killian told him.

"I love you too," Rowan responded, almost immediately. "I wish I would've known sooner... I wish I would've had the guts to tell you sooner... I wish we weren't about to die..." Rowan sounded like he was on the verge of tears and Killian's heart felt like it was about to burst.

Killian wrapped his arms around him holding him tightly. "At least if we're about to die, we can die together."

Rowan hugged him back before cupping his face in his hands and kissing him softly.

And when the invaders found their viliage, that was how they found them. The two young men caught in a passionate embrace, holding each other close because they had nothing left to lose, trying to convey years of pining into the few moments the two of them had left together.

The door flung open and a warlock stormed in, one of the most notorious warlocks in all the land to beat. And yet, he was shocked to see the two young men in each other's arms, paying him no attention.

"Do you not care that these will be your final moments?" The warlock asked the two of them as they finally pulled away for air.

Tears streamed down Rowan's face "If these are to be my last moments, then there is nothing else I'd rather be doing."

Killian gripped his lover's hand tightly, staring at the warlock with defiance in his eyes. "If you're here to kill us, do us in already, at least we'll die together after so many years apart."

The warlock just laughed. "Kill you? No, no, no dear boy... That spark in your eyes... You are far more useful to me alive than dead."

Rowan squeezed Killian's hand tightly. "S-so then... Then what are you going to do with us?" He asked the warlock.

"I'll offer you a deal," the warlock told them both. "Either I can kill you now," he gestured to Rowan, "And train you as my warrior," he gestured to Killian.

"Not an option," Killian told him with a glare. "I'd sooner kill myself then train with the man that killed my favorite person in the world."

The warlock laughed, a neon green flame sprouting from his right hand. It didn't seem to burn or hurt him, despite the fact that it had enveloped his hand completely. "So it'll be option two then?"

"Wait, what's option two?" Rowan asked him.

"You both can live, I'll even help you escape from these barbarians that insist on pillaging every viliage they come across."

"... What's the catch?" Killian asked.

"One day, it could be a week from now, it could be years from now, it could be never, I will ask for your help in battle. You will have half an hour to say your goodbyes and then my magic will instantly transport you to my side and you will be my faithful bodyguard for the rest of your mortal life." The warlock told Killian.

Rowan gasped. "Ian... You, you can't do this..."

Killian looked at Rowan, his best friend, the love of his life. Those blue eyes that he had grown up with, fallen in love with, and Rowan's terrified expression and knew that he couldn't let him die. No matter what Killian had to sacrifice, he would do anything to protect Row.

"... I accept," he told the warlock. "Help me and Row get out of hear alive, and when you call for me, I... I'll dedicate the rest of my life to protecting you."

"Killian!" Rowan gasped. "You can't, there has to be another way!"

Killian winced slightly, Rowan only ever used his full name if he was upset with him. "... I have to Row."

Killian turned towards the warlock. "So, do we have a deal?"

The warlock offered him his right hand, still covered in that bright green glowing fire. "All you have to do is shake on it boy."

Before Rowan could stop him, Killian reached forward and shook the warlock's hand, surprised that he didn't get burned by the flames, but that was what happened when you made magical deals with a warlock he supposed.

Rowan choked back a sob, wrapping his arms around Killian tightly as a poof of green smoke filled the room around them, the deal and Killian's fate both sealed.

"I don't want to lose you..." Rowan told him between his tears.

"I know..." Killian told him, rubbing his back softly. "But this way, we'll have some time together... And I'll know you're safe."

Rowan just clinged to him tighter and the two boys held each other for a moment before the warlock cleared his throat.

"Are you two ready to get a move on?" He asked.

True to his word, the warlock helped them escape safely and undetected, and Rowan and Killian managed to flee to the nearest city and seek refuge.

Every day, Rowan was scared he'd wake up and Killian would be gone, taken from him forever, but the two of them were able to live together for years without incident.

It was Killian that proposed, a week before Rowan was planning to.

"Y-you... You want to marry me?" Rowan asked him, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Row... Who else would I want to spend the rest of my life with?"

Rowan hugged him tightly, "I love you so much Ian... Of course I want to marry you."

Both of them cried, and the wedding was held a few months later, the warlock's deal almost forgotten, erased from their minds.

Rowan giggled as arms wrapped around his waist one morning while he was cooking breakfast.

"Come back to beeeeed," Killian groaned, resting his head on his husband's shoulder.

"Honey, it's already 10:30, how much longer do you expect to sleep in?" Rowan asked his husband, turning to give him a kiss on the cheek.

"Forever," Killian mumbled, his voice muffled from his face being buried in Rowan's shoulder.

Rowan chuckled slightly. "Let's get some breakfast in you first and then maybe we can consider going back to bed for more cuddles."

Killian smiled, kissing Rowan softly. "Anything I can do to help make breakfast faster?" He asked.

Rowan just smiled and shoot his head. "Not that I can think of, just have a seat and it'll be ready in a few."

Killian snuck in one last kiss before heading to sit at the table, Rowan setting a plate of breakfast in front of him, but something about Killian was... Different.

"... Ian? Everything okay?"

Killian stared ahead blankly, the sweet gaze Rowan was so used had disappeared, replaces by an almost sneer.

Killian's usually green eyes had darkened to a murky greenish-brown, and he made no acknowledgement as to having heard Rowan.

Rowan nudged him slightly, "... Ian? What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Killian turned to face him, and Rowan took a step back at the intensity of his glare, startled by his husband for the first time in his entire life.

"The warlock has called for me," Killian told Rowan.

All the blood drained from Rowan's face. "Wh-what? The warlock? B-but... It's been years o-over a decade, what could he possibly want from you now?"

Killian scowled, a complete change in demeanor from how Rowan usually saw him.

Sure Killian was grumpy most of the time, but never outright mean or scary. He never said or did anything that felt remotely threatening towards Rowan and yet... Something felt... Different.

"I don't know," Killian told him. "But this is it."

Tears welled up in Rowan's eyes and his hands started to shake. "N-no.... N-no, H-he... He can't do this, we... We didn't have enough time, he... No..." Tears begin to stream down Rowan's face. "I can't lose you Ian... I... I can't."

Killian just sort of stood there, making no move to comfort his crying husband, and that was when Rowan truly knew that the magic had taken hold.

He reached a shaking hand out towards Killian, "H-he said we had half an hour, Kil, please I- I can't lose you... I... You're my everything, I... I can't, we were meant to be..."

Killian did nothing, his murky brown eyes had deepened to almost a shade of black and he stared at his husband with no emotion on his face. "Or are we? You knew this was going to happen... We knew it was coming and yet, we ended up here anyways."

Rowan wrapped his arms around him tightly, his whole body shaking as tears poured down his face in earnest, "N-No.... NO, I-Ian, it's the warlock talking this isn't you... P-please I know you're in there, I-Ian, please... A-at least let me say goodbye... I... I didn't know this was going to be it, I... I can't lose you, Ian please."

Killian stood there motionless as the love of his life sobbing against him, making no move to wrap his arms around him or to give him the final goodbye he so desperately pleaded for. He belonged to the warlock now. "... I think it's better if I go now," Killian told him, all emotion drained from his voice.

Rowan let go of him, and the sight of his face contorted in such unimaginable pain brought back a flash of the green Rowan knew and loved to Killian's eyes.

"Row-" but just as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone.

"NO!" Rowan sobbed, feeling powerless to do anything. "I-Ian please..."

Killian stared at him, his face expressionless once more. "... I think it's best if I go now." He hesitated for a moment more before shaking his head, as if snapping out of something, breaking him from whatever lost battle between him and the magic was going on inside his head.

"Goodbye Rowan," he said to him, before disappearing in a flash of neon green flames.

Rowan reached out towards him just before he disappeared, but it was too late. His hands caught only empty air.

"NO!" Rowan screamed, sobbing. "Nononono, he can't be gone, he CAN'T!"

He looked around the room as if Killian would suddenly reappear before sinking to the ground on his knees sobbing into his hands. "I should've stayed in bed and cuddled him," he berated himself between gut wrenching sobs. "I should've came back to bed when he asked."

Rowan stayed like that for hours, curled up on the ground, sobbing into his hands, regretting all the time he spent apart from Killian, regretting all the moments they could've shared, regretting all the years before they confessed.

He cried until there was nothing left in him to give anymore, the deep sorrow he had felt replaced by a hollow feeling of loss and hopelessness.

On shaky legs, Rowan carefully stood off the ground, wiping the dried tears from his eyes. Killian was gone, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Nothing except hunt that son of a bitch down and free his husband from the evil warlock that had so cruely taken him from him.

As Rowan dried the last of his tears, his heartache hardened into rage, his sorrows forming an unbreakable resolve.

Rowan would get Killian back no matter how long it took to find him, no matter how many people he had to hunt down, no matter what, Rowan was going to hunt that warlock down and do whatever it took to get his Killian back.

Rowan was ready for revenge.

I actually had a lot of fun writing this despite the fact that I lost a lot of sleep and cried a lot while writing. If enough people want it, I would definitely make a part two (I don't like angst endings, so part two would end up much happier) If I do make a part two, you should be able to find the link HERE, please let me know what you thought!

[the-writing-mobster]

Yes Man AU

I know no one was asking for this, but this is literally my favorite movie! So as a small love letter to Yes Man starring Jim Carrey, I wrote a small au oneshot with the WDYW cast. I do hope you enjoy, and found it just as funny as I did while reading it! 

Yes Man AU 

Sans couldn't believe he was doing this. He couldn't believe he had let Nick talk him into coming. He hadn't even really talked him into it. Nick had just popped up out of nowhere, threw a rock into the university window where he worked and yelled at him to go to the stupid Yes Seminar while getting chased by security. 

Honestly the reason he had actually come to this stupid fucking thing was because he had accidentally blown off Papyrus's engagement party. What kind of a brother was he!? That was the wakeup call he needed to get off his ass. Maybe… maybe this would… he didn't know. He already felt stupid as he walked through the throngs of happy humans and monsters alike. 

It was like walking through a mega church. There was an air of… some weird spirituality sprinkled with scummy book stores. 

Everyone was so… smiley. He himself had a literal permanent grin on his face but… their smiles were different. Alive? 

“Sans! You actually came! I knew you would. Trust me man, this is what you need. You're gonna love this man. You need this!” Sans nodded along, trying to hide his pained grimace as best he could from his longtime friend. 

“Yeah well… I just… yeah,” he murmured as Nick dragged him to their seats in the audience. Sans sat awkwardly amongst the jabbering crowd as Nick waited impatiently for the seminar to start. 

He felt as out of place as an atheist during mass. 

Then the lights dimmed and a hush fell over the crowd. Music swelled throughout the room and his brow bones raised and he glanced at Nick, who's eyes were wide with childish excitement. 

“Life… we are all living it… Or are we?” spoke a mystical voice. Sans grunted. 

“Riveting…” 

“Change is generated from consciousness, but where is consciousness generated from? From the external. And how do we control the external? ... With one word. And what is that word?” 

“YES!” screamed the crowd, Sans jumping in his seat at the sudden roar of noise. He laughed nervously and shot Nick a desperate look, already regretting his decision to come. 

A man emerged onto the stage, a monster. An old tortoise man in a sharp white suit and silver tie. 

“The word is yes! Yes. Yes! Yes!” Sans smirked and leaned over to Nick. 

“That's what she said,” he teased and Nick rolled his eyes as he stifled his snicker, punching Sans lightly on the shoulder. 

“What are you, twelve? Pay attention.” 

“Say it a million times. Say it a million more times. And the word you will have said two million times is…” This time Sans was expecting it and waved his hand with annoyed amusement as the crowd screamed YES once more. There was an uproar of cheer and staggering emotion that swept through the ballroom. Sans didn’t know what to think of it. There was such a mixture of being freaked out and being very interested in what was about to occur that he merely just sat there in stunned, awkward silence while the crowd lost their fucking minds. 

Finally, everyone had the decency to shut up and let the old tortoise talk. Sans let out a breath and leaned back in his seat. He hadn’t even realized he was on the edge of it. 

“I want you to invite yes into your life… because when you say yes to things, you will embrace the possible.” Sans’s eyes wandered the stadium. Psh, what a bunch of horse shit. 

“You gobble up all of life’s energies… and excrete the waste.” Sans furrowed his brow with puzzled disgust at the wording and shot a wary look at Nick. What the fuck did he drag me to? 

“I would like to welcome our newcomers… Who among us is new?” asked the turtle man, his eyes glittering in the spotlight. Nick jumped up and pointed directly at Sans with giddy excitement. 

“He is! This guy right here!” Sans’s soul dropped to the floor, his eyelights snuffing out and leaving his sockets black as the abyss. He shot Nick a poisonous warning glare. The entirety of the ballroom seemed to turn and lock their eyes onto him. 

“Haha… I’m gonna kill you...” he growled under his breath as he shot a sheepish, nervous grin at everyone. His threat didn’t phase Nick, who continued despite Sans’s embarrassment, to point him out to everyone. 

“Come on up, future Yes Man!” beckoned the tortoise. Sans grimaced and shook his head, he was flooded with humiliation. He really was going to murder Nick Creamer. No doubts about it. He was already planning where to dismember and bury his body. 

“Uh… No thanks I’m just… auditing?” he called back. The crowd vocally cringed at him, some laughing and shaking their heads like they knew exactly what was about to happen. He couldn’t believe his luck, or rather lack of luck. 

“You can’t audit life my friend, now get on up here!” Sans seethed through his teeth and gave the fucker a dismissive wave of his hand. 

“Nah… No thanks, I'm good.” Let it go old man. 

“I’m sorry, what was that you just said?” he asked. Sans gritted his teeth and shot Nick a withering glare. Nick merely smirked smugly at him, sealing his fate. He glanced back up at the dumb ass turtle and shook his head stubbornly. 

“Uh… I’m good?” he grunted. We could play this game all night. It was clear though that Gerson wasn’t going to let this go. 

“Before that.” Asshole. Fuck you Nick. You’re dead. You’re so dead. You’re already dead. The crowd all looked at him expectantly. He wanted to wipe their smug little grins off their faces. This was awful. This was worse than the entirety of middle school. 

“Thank you…?” he said again. A few people rolled their eyes at him and he growled. Gerson shook his head and held up his hand as if trying to reach something intangible. This guy ain’t gonna let up. 

“Back up just a little bit more…” Sans glared at him and ran his tongue along the edges of his fangs. Nick nudged him and he punched him in the shoulder hard. Nick winced and held his aching arm. Sans grunted, sinking under the pressure. 

“...No—” 

“—No man! No Man, No Man, NO MAN!” Sans shrunk into himself as the crowd yelled at him, wagging their fingers as they shamed him and only him. 

“Ok! If the molehill won’t come to Gerson… Gerson will come to the molehill!” he exclaimed. Sans’s eyes widened as the old man took off in a sprint down the aisle right for him. His eye flared with shock as he stumbled back in his seat, Nick holding him in place. The only reason he hadn’t used his magic was for all the humans’ sakes. 

Gerson stole a chair and turned it to face him, sitting down as a crew member handed him a microphone. Sans gulped. 

“What’s your name?” He shoved the microphone into Sans’s face and he let out an annoyed grumble. No getting out of this now. 

“Sans.” 

“Let me guess Sans, someone talked you into coming here today didn’t they?” Sans rolled his head to look at Nick and he sighed. Yep it definitely looked like he’d have to do this. Fuuuuuuck! 

“...Yes.” Everyone shouted YES at the top of their lungs and Sans rolled his eyes. 

“And you’re not… sure about this are you?” Sans narrowed his eyes at Gerson as he weighed the options of his answer. It was just a yes or no question. He inwardly groaned. This sucked. 

“No,” he grunted. Again, the audience shouted no man over and over, none more passionately than Nick, who was only digging himself into a deeper hole than he was already in. Sans shook his head with irritated bafflement at his predicament. He really should’ve stayed home. Gerson shrugged. 

“You’re dead Sans,” he said bluntly, with a nonchalant shake of his head, “you say no to life and therefore you are not living.” 

Sans’s skull grin faltered at the words. 

“You make up excuses to the people around you, and to yourself. You’re trapped in the same dead end job you’ve been stuck in for years. You don’t have a significant other. You don’t have anything close to a significant other, and you lost the love of your life because they couldn’t be with someone who couldn’t live theirs…” Sans’s brow furrowed as he read him like a newspaper. ...Hittin’ a lil’ too close to home their bucko. 

“And most nights you’re so bored and filled with ornery that… you can’t even summon up the enthusiasm necessary to masterbate.” Sans choked at the statement. He was right. Jesus I’m depressing. 

“Am I right, Sans?” He shoved the microphone right against his skeletal nose and Sans avoided looking into his dark, glittering… piercing, green eyes. He had just read the contents of his soul… In front of everyone! 

“Um… you uh, I mean I guess you could say I’m sans enthusiasm,” he murmured the shitty pun, trying as hard as possible to not let the microphone pick up the rumble of his voice, or allow the audience to hear his meager confession. Gerson gave a soft smirk. He glanced up as the old turtle pulled himself closer. Way too much closer. Sans scaled his chair to somehow escape him as he came right up to his nose. 

“We’re gonna make a covenant Sans… do you want to make a covenant?” he whispered into the mic. Sans’s breath shook as he glanced down at the floor. 

“Come on Sans!” shouted some random guy in the crowd. Sans grimaced and groaned softly as he tried to battle his thoughts.

“Uh—” Sans flinched as Gerson hit his head with the mic, the auditorium filling with feedback at the move. 

“—The answer is yes, Sans.” The crowd screamed Yes. 

“Yes!” he croaked. Nick screamed yes with fierce passion into Sans’s ear and Sans curled away from him. 

“Yes!” This time with a bit more conviction. Nick was right. He… maybe he did need this. Gerson had been right about everything. He really was a sorry sack of shit. Would it really kill him to spice up his life like this? 

The crowd screamed yes again and Sans let escape a soft whisper, pleading and desperate, partly for this whole ordeal to be over, but… mostly a sincere want to change. 

Gerson’s piercing eyes locked onto his, his face solemn and sober. 

“Once you leave this building… every time an opportunity presents itself…no matter what it is… you will say yes.” Another round of yes’s filled the hall, and this time Sans found himself embracing it. Afterwards he gave Gerson a nervous grimace and nodded. 

“And what if I say, heh… the other word?” he asked, not willing to risk the chance of saying no and being yelled at again. Gerson narrowed his eyes at him. 

“You’ll be breaking a promise to yourself… and when you break a promise to yourself… things can get a little dicey. What do you say, Sans… want to make that covenant?” God yes, if this is what it takes to make Papyrus… or, fuck, if this is what it takes to get out of my funk then… 

“Yes.” YES! 

“Yes!” YES! Gerson grabbed him by the face and dragged him out of his seat with such vigor, Sans gave a growl of surprise. 

“MAKE ME BELIEVE IT!” he snarled as he shook Sans. 

“Yes! Yes! YES!” he cried desperately, Gerson throwing him back down in Nick’s arms. Sans was shaking from the entire experience. What. The. Fuck… just happened to me? 

Gerson turned back towards the stage and made his way through the crowd. He rose his fists into the air with a triumphant gleam in his eyes. 

“YES!” he cheered, the audience practically screaming their inspired praise. Sans breathed shakily as he tried to regain his composure. A laugh escaped him as Nick pushed him back into his own seat. Slowly Sans began to clap. Guess you could say I’m a little shell shocked. 

⁂ 

“Hey! There he is!” Sans glanced up at one of the men from the auditorium as he and Nick walked through the parking lot. The man’s wife smiled brightly at him. 

“That was wonderful, so inspiring,” she said sweetly as they climbed into their car. Sans grinned and saluted them lazily. Nick chuckled as they came to his little blue car. 

“So… you gonna do it?” he asked. Sans hummed in thought and shrugged. 

“I… I don’t know. Maybe,” he said with a coy grin. Nick scrunched his nose at the answer and chuckled. 

“That’s weird, I didn’t realize we stepped out of a maybe seminar,” he teased. Sans snickered and rolled his eyes as he turned away, coming face to face with an old homeless monster, his head cloaked with a black hood, nothing but bright white eyes peering back at him. 

“You… are a reaper, tralala… yes?” asked the homeless monster. Sans swallowed and raised his brows, looking down at his skeletal hands. 

“Uh, tch, yes,” he grunted. The hobo gave a small squeak of delight. 

“Do you think you could use those fancy powers of yours, tralala, and take me to Ebbot City park?” he asked. Sans hummed his displeasure at the request and began to shake his head. He hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep last night, in fact, only around three hours and the closest thing he’d had to a meal all day was a hotdog from a street vendor. He only had enough energy really to get himself home and make a measly ramen noodle dinner for himself. Jesus Christ, I really am pathetic. 

“Uh… liste—”

“—YEEESSSSS!” shouted Nick as he came sprinting to Sans’s side. Sans winced at the reminder of the stupid covenant. 

“Sure he can! Right Sans?” asked Nick with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. Sans laughed wryly at him. Nick, do you want me to kill you? You have to say yes. He thought bitterly. He inwardly groaned and turned back to the homeless man. With a long sigh of resolve he shook his head yes. 

“Uh, yeah. Sure. Why not?” he grumbled. Nick giggled gleefully, and the homeless monster shot him a puzzled look. 

“Yes! You won’t regret this Sans!” Sans shot him a warning glare and chuckled bitterly as the hobo held out his dirty hand for him to take. Sans grimaced as he debated on taking his hand, the two dancing around each other awkwardly before Sans grabbed sternly onto his shoulder. 

“Alright just… Ebbot City park right?” he asked. The man nodded and he sighed as smoke poured out of his sockets. He longed for the days people were scared shitless of reapers. They were all getting so comfy. 

“Have fun!” called Nick as he walked back to his car. Sans shook his head as the red smoke surrounded them. 

“Fuck off.” 

⁂ 

The mist dissipated to reveal the gate leading into the park, big rod iron letters spelling Ebbot City Park. Sans grunted and turned away before the hobo cleared his throat and pointed inside. 

“I need to go a little further in, tralala. It’s in the hiking range near the water, if you don’t mind tralala,” he said. Sans froze and glanced back at the hobo. He stifled his annoyed growl and plastered on the fakest smile he could. 

“Of course… silly me.” Because nothing could be easy. He sighed as he clasped his hand onto the monster’s shoulders and shrouded them in red mist again. The hiking range was way deep in the park. He prayed to whatever dumbass god was listening to allow him to have the energy necessary to get him home. 

When they arrived at the riverside, dark water lapping up at the shore, the hobo searched the water. A tired sigh exploded from Sans’s jaw and he shot the hobo a disgruntled look. 

“Got any more requests or can I just leave ya here cause it doesn’t really matter… tralala…?” he grumbled. The hobo hummed his disapproval and glanced back at him with a sheepish sparkle in his bright, white eyes. 

“I’m sorry man, but… it’s on the other side of the river, tralala” He said. Sans stared at him. Fuck you Nick, fuck you Nick, fuck you Nick. He mustered up enough decency to give the homeless monster a gracious smile and snatched his arm. 

“Fine by me,” he growled as once again, his smoke surrounded them. 

He stumbled and leaned against a tree as he took them to the other side of the river. There was a small encampment with a little canoe pulled up on the river bank. The hobo clapped his hands cheerfully before slowly turning to Sans. 

“Thanks man for doing this, you know a lot of people would’ve just said no, tralala… although I have been getting a lot of luck lately outside of that hotel,” he said. Sans chuckled wrly and shook his head.

 “Hey man it’s… it’s no problem,” he grunted as he wiped his hand on his jeans. 

“Um… you wouldn’t mind if… do you think you could spare a couple bucks, tralala?” he asked. Sans’s eye socket twitched before he chuckled aridly and yanked out his wallet. 

“You know what? I’ve come this far,” he hissed as he leafed through some of his on hand cash. “Yes you can… tralala,” he said with a gracious smile. 

The hobo glanced at his stack of cash and chuckled, shaking his head and pointing to it. 

“You’ve got a whole lot there, tralala, can I have it all?” he joked. Sans’s eyes snuffed out, abyssal black holes filled with rage. These assholes keep testing me. The riverman hobo let out a jolly laugh and Sans laughed mockingly along before holding out the whole stack.

“Sure,” he hissed as he held out the stack of cash. The hobo laughed nervously, his eyes widening at the generous gesture. He hesitantly reached for it and clasped it in his hand. For a second, they both pulled on the money, Sans’s grip a cold dead grip on his hard earned money. However, the hobo eventually won that game of tug-o-war. 

He held up the bundle to him as Sans glared across at him. 

“Angel bless you, tralala,” he breathed with genuine gratitude. Sans waved him off as the hobo got into his canoe and pulled a raggedy blanket over his head. He scoffed and walked along the river path as he tried to summon his magic. A curl of red mist fluttered around him, but he was exhausted and he had reached a depletion in magic. He panted and leaned against a tree trunk. 

“Come on man!” he snarled. He tried again only for his eye to flare like a sputtering candle and he stumbled back. He gritted his teeth and growled low under his breath. 

“Great” he spat. He dug through his pockets for his phone. He’d have to call an Uber or something once he made it out of the park. A reaper in an Uber. What was the world coming to? 

As he glanced down his eyes widened when he realized his battery was at one percent. He had forgotten to charge it before he left, banking on just charging it at the seminar.  

“Oh no, no, no!” he gasped, just as it decided to shut down. His fists clenched and he rummaged through his jacket pockets. Yes, he had his charger, thank God. Ok then… new plan… walk to a gas station, charge my phone, get somethin’ to eat and call an Uber. He would’ve called Papyrus, but where they stood right now… he knew his brother would rather not deal with him. He was on his own. 

“Heh… perfect.” 

⁂

“Hey Sans, do you wanna give away all your cash to a homeless guy? Why yes. Yes I do,” he growled to himself as he marched over the empty bridge across the river. He couldn’t fucking believe he was in this situation. 

“How about expending all the rest of your energy teleporting him around a six hundred acre park? You know what? That sounds like a fucking great idea!” he shouted into the indifferent night. 

Assholes. All of them. Weird culty assholes. How could anything good ever come out of this? He’d probably get jumped, and with no magic to defend himself… Ugh! He read the directions to get out of the hiking trail and sighed as he found himself running along a thin dirt path. Fuck this Park. Fuck that homeless guy. Fuck Nick. Fuck the covenant! 

“Let’s just take a late night stroll through the hills and get killed by a murder cult! Don’t mind if I do!” 

It took hours. Literal hours. He was winded… and sweaty and exhausted! His legs felt like jelly by the time he was practically crawling up to the closest gas station. He threw the door open, eyes black as a starless night as he locked the cashier in his gaze. He held up his phone as he caught his breath and bared his fangs. 

“Charging port. Where is it?” he snarled. The tired teenager squeaked with fear, that’s more like it, and pointed outside. He groaned and stomped back out to find the port. As he bent down to plug his charger in, the rev of an engine filled the air. 

A vespa pulled into the gas station and parked at the front near the building. He glanced up as the rider slid off of their ride and spared him a curious look while they took off their helmet. It was a rather stupid sight. A large skeleton monster hunched over a little outlet with his stupid little cell phone. Might as well join the circus while he was at it.  

To make matters worse, they were a human woman. A rather cute one at that and he looked like a fucking idiot. 

They smiled awkwardly at each other and she stepped inside. He gave a small sigh and turned back to his phone to check if it was charging. Now with one percent battery life and still charging, he gave a small breath of relief and tried to force it to turn on. He shook his head as frustration flooded him. He couldn’t believe this. 

“Do you wanna call an uber for the first time in your stupid ass life and sit in some smelly guy’s car as he forces you to talk to him about your fucking day while Nickleback plays just a little too loud? Oh could I? Could I really?—” He froze when the flash of a camera lit his vision and he jerked up. 

The woman looked down at her cute polaroid camera as it printed the picture she had just taken. People still used those? She giggled quietly to herself and glanced back up at him with a coy smirk. 

“That’s a good look,” she said as she waved the picture in the air. He narrowed his eyes as he studied her. She was small… short brown hair that framed her round, bronzen face and… her eyes were big and brown. Ugh, just my luck that I would look like a complete dumbass in front of such a pretty girl! 

“Did you just… take my picture?” he asked, pointing to the photo in her hand. Her smirk widened and she bit her lip as she unscrewed a water bottle. He watched as she took a sip before turning her attention back to him with a sigh. 

“Maybe… Did you run out of battery?” she asked. He chuckled wrly and glanced down at his phone. He glanced back up at her through narrowed eyes, running his tongue along the top of his fangs. 

“Maybe…” he murmured. She grinned and shook her head. 

“That sucks. That happened to me last week,” she said as she grinned down at the picture before pocketing it. He rolled his eyes to the heavens. 

“Was it because you forgot to charge it and then had to keep teleporting a homeless guy all around a park because no matter where you took him it just didn’t feel enough like home… which depleted all your magic and left you stranded with an empty battery so you couldn’t call a driver?” he asked. She snorted with laughter and leaned against the wall, head tilted with tender curiosity. 

“Um… no… but I take it that… that’s what happened to you?” she asked with a giggle. His grin widened and he shrugged innocently. 

“Nope. What would make you assume that?” They laughed quietly as he looked down at his phone. Four percent. He glanced back up at her as she continued to drink her water. Why was someone like her talking to someone like him? Not that he was complaining… after all she was super cute. 

“He kept making you teleport him around a park?” she asked. Sans grunted and nodded at the ridiculous truth. 

“Yeah, uh, apparently he was the most demanding homeless man on the planet. Wasn’t letting anyone walk all over him. He was keeping his sense of dignity… It was good to see,” he said with a teasing grin. She laughed with him, her nose wrinkling sweetly as she tried to understand his current predicament. He chuckled along and held open his arms with a welcoming grin. “I’m just glad to be a part of it really…” 

Her smile grew on her face. “Yeah that must feel good,” she said with a firm nod. 

They shared a lingering gaze before he cleared his throat and turned back to his phone. “Truly, yeah… oh and I’m getting some exercise… which is cool,” he mumbled as he glared at the Uber app in the app store. Was he really gonna have to download this and make an account and everything? Tonight was gonna be a long night… 

“Well… do you need a ride?” she asked, gesturing to her scooter. Is she for real? He looked over her shoulder at the little vespa and swallowed his nerves. Would he even fit on that?

“Uh… on that thing?” He asked nervously. She quirked a perfect brow at him as she sauntered back to her scooter and handed him her helmet. No fucking way. Well… Yes is the only option you have… 

⁂

They sped through the street, weaving in and out of traffic, Sans’s arms awkwardly wrapped around her slender waist. The rev of the vespa engine and the slap of wind in his face was exhilarating. This was probably the first time in a long time he had felt like he was alive… and maybe that was because at any moment they could go flying to their certain death. 

“Am I going too fast for you, faucheuse drôle?” she shouted over the wind. He laughed nervously and leaned his chin over her shoulder. 

“Nah, in fact I think you should go faster… that way if we crash at least I’ll die.” She barked with laughter at his quips and he chuckled along. “I just don’t want to be kept alive artificially, ya know?” They laughed together as they drove. 

She turned into a street with a little less traffic and slowly raised her polaroid into the air. His grin faltered as she straightened and smiled into the camera lens. 

“Wait, what are you doing?” She laughed cheerfully and leaned against him. 

“I’m taking our picture! Sourire!” she said as the camera flashed. He groaned as the flash cut through his vision. 

“Oh God, are you trynna blind me? Can’t see shit,” he said, but he couldn’t help but chuckle. She gave an easy laugh and shook her hair in the wind. 

“Me neither! Isn’t it great!?” she exclaimed as she swerved through traffic and down another road as he shouted in terror. Is she crazy!? Yeah, he was definitely not a vehicle kind of guy. 

When he realized that, yes, they were still alive, he allowed himself to grin and hug her a little tighter. This was… kind of fun. She was really fun! He was having such a great time! To think all it took was an awful trip through the park. 

They laughed together as she drove the rest of the way to his apartment complex. 

They stopped a little ways down the street and the woman dismounted, kicking her stand out to lean the scooter on. He stalled as he glanced up at the building, then back at her. She glanced at him as she ran a hand through her short, windswept hair. They stood in silence, studying each other with gentle curiosity. 

He cleared his throat and scratched the back of his skull. “So uh… thanks for uh, doin’ that. Ya didn’t have to really,” he said as he tried to avoid her gaze. She smiled sweetly at him and began to walk, Sans stupidly following behind her to his own apartment complex. 

“No problem, maybe the color will return to your face sometime… or not, considering you’re a skeleton.” He laughed at her joke and nodded along. 

“Well I hope you feel powerful because you’re the only person who’s made me scream like a little baby,” he said with a bashful grin. She scoffed with teasing laughter and winked at him. She was so pretty… How had he gotten this lucky? 

“Je le porterai comme un badge d'honneur… Can I have my helmet back now?” she asked as she pointed at his skull. He glanced up and chuckled with quiet embarrassment. He pointed at it and grinned. 

“I’m still wearing it, aren’t I,” he murmured. She gave a sleepy laugh and nodded. He sighed in mock sorrow as he took it off and handed it back to her. As she reached for it, he lifted his hand out of her reach and she whined playfully. He laughed and tossed it to her, her fumbling it a bit before pulling it to her chest. They giggled together. 

As they came to the gate to the complex she faltered and shoved her hands in her coat pockets. She swayed on her heels and smiled. 

“So… are you gonna be ok?” she asked. He grinned and leaned against the gate as he eyed her. Well now that I’ve met you…may the angel bless me indeed. 

“Yeah! Yeah I’m great… unless you wanna stick around and makeout,” he murmured under his breath. Her big, brown eyes perked up at the words and he inwardly kicked himself. No I did not just say that out loud. I don’t even know her name! 

“What?” she asked, eyes wide. Oh shit, I totally fucked that. Stupid, idiot, asshole! 

“Wha- What did you say?” he stammered. She narrowed her eyes and advanced on him with aggressive finality. He held up his hands as he feared maybe pepper spray, or a taser if she was one of those girls. 

“Hey listen, I wasn’t bein—” She grabbed his jacket and pulled him down, pressing her lips to his fangs in a forceful kiss. He froze up. That had been the last thing he had been expecting. She pulled away… too soon… and stared up at him. A shocked silence fell over both of them. 

“... Have a good night,” she said as she gave him a firm pat on the chest. His eyes followed her as she sauntered back to her vespa. She swung her leg over and revved the little engine before taking off down the street. He watched her go and looked down at his chest, where his hands were clutching a… a photograph. His grin softened. The two of them on her scooter. He actually looked happy… 

He glanced back down the street where she had driven off and smiled to himself, tucking the photo into his jacket pocket. 

“Yes…” he murmured thoughtfully, a skip in his step as he made his way back to his room. Yes always leads to something good… Thank you Nick.   

[ladyanput]

Seeing Green Ch.5

Well, everyone, I’m so glad you’ve all supported me thus far. Here\s a chapter that contains a lot of what people have been asking for~

“Good morning, Marinette." Marinette glared up at the intruder of her quiet breakfast, dark shadows quite clear under her eyes. She had had a long night last night, talking with the Bat crew, then spending a good chunk of the night trying to find Chat Noir. The fact that he was in Gotham of all places didn't sit right with her, but she couldn't fully explain why. "How are you going this morning? You look quite beautiful."

Adrien smiled expectantly down at her, taking a seat across from the girl, obviously not reading the mood of the room, of which Marinette wanted him nowhere near her.

"Adrien, what do you want?" Marinette used her fork to poke her fried egg, lowering her gaze so that she wouldn't have to look at that smile that was so practiced that it just didn't feel real. She flinched when he took her free hand and kissed the knuckles. She felt bile rise in her throat and she ripped her hand away. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Mari, listen… I'm sorry that I didn't stick with you during the whole Lila incident. I was a real jerk, I guess I was just scared that this would escalate and there'd be big problems." Adrien leaned forward, trying to catch her eye, but she refused to give him the satisfaction. So her basically being ostracized by her class hadn't been 'a big problem'? That made her grind her teeth, but a gentle nudge from Tikki immediately calmed her down.

"Adrien, I'd like to be left alone, alright? I'm not feeling great." Marinette muttered as she glanced out one of the large windows the hotel's dining room offered. The sight of the snow falling from the sky had been enough to make her groan, silently glad that yesterday's picnic had been cancelled. Honestly, who arranged a picnic during November?

"Marinette, please… You're a really special girl, and I realise now how great you are. I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me today?" Adrien blushed, and Marinette was reminded of a preteen who just confesses their love to their longtime crush. It didn't do anything to lift her mood, instead it only soured it. Way too late for that, Adrien, that ship has long since sailed.

"Not interested." Marinette stood, finding her appetite was now gone. She brushed past the model, making her way into the lobby. She froze when she saw Damian standing by the reception desk, her heart skipping a beat. He looked so handsome, his dark hair smoothed back from his strong, serious face. She practically skipped her way over to Damian, noticing the flowers in his arms. A pleasant flush flooded her cheeks, wondering who they were for…

“Damidear, you brought me flowers!” Lila darted her way across the lobby, throwing herself at the boy, sending him stumbling back a few steps. Marinette’s brows drew together, somewhat flabbergasted, until she spotted that her class had been where Lila had been standing. Ah, that explains it. “I’m so glad you decided to visit me, yesterday’s incident was so horrible.”

“Who are you?” Damian rose a brow at the girl, nearly scowling when she got a pout and tears welled up in her eyes. He tried to pull his arm from her grasp, but she sank her nails in hard, no doubt leaving bruises. “Please, let me go before I have to get security in here.”

“Wh-hat do you mean? Dami, you can stop with the act, everyone knows now that we’re dating, we don't have to hide anymore..” Lila let out a whine, glad she decided to dress up in her skirt she’d had hemmed so that it slid up her slim thighs, slowing off her body. 

Damian almost felt nauseous when the girl trapped his arm against her chest, rubbing her breasts against his arm. What the fuck was this girl’s deal?

“I will tell you again, let me go.” Damian roughly pulled his arm from her grasp, sending her stumbling backwards. A girl wearing glasses rushed forward and caught her, sending a furious glare to the youngest Wayne.

“What the fuck is your problem?! I understand the need for secrecy, but you don’t treat your girlfriend that way, no matter the circumstances!” She snapped, cradling the sobbing Lila close.

“I am not dating her. I’ve never met her before yesterday.” The cold, hard fury came forward as Damian towered over them, his grip on the bouquet tightening. “I have been interested in only one girl, and I’m telling you that’s not her! She’s-”

Damian’s gaze met Marinette’s, and he smiled that smile that sent her heart fluttering.

“She’s right over there.” Damian made his way over to Mari and pulled her into a warm embrace. Marinette returned the hug, laying her head on his chest, then let out a giggle when he kissed her forehead. “Hello, Angel. I thought you and I could spend the day together. Miss Bourbon informed me it is a free day?”

“Yeah, it is.” Marinette beamed up at Damian, giving his cheek a soft kiss in return. She took the offered bouquet, ignoring the accusations that Lila and her court were throwing their way; that Mari had stayed with Damian at the mall plaza to steal him away, that she was a homewrecking slut, among other things. She merely turned her gaze towards them, seeing them as they are; lost causes. Only Alix, Kim, Juleka and Rose strode forward and shouted in her defense, bringing the gazes of everyone in the lobby, guests and employees alike. She turned back to Damian, trying her best to block the ensuing chaos behind them out. “I would love to spend the day with you. I really need out of here.” 

“Marinette, wait! I-I wanted to take you out today, thought we could go for lunch. I can take us to the best restaurant in town.” Adrien grabbed her wrist, attempting to pull her out of Damian’s embrace, only causing him to tighten his embrace in turn. Adrien shot a withering glare to Damian, before turning a pleading gaze to Marinette. “Please, Mari, please don’t go with him. I-I can treat you a lot better than he can, he’ll only use you, you’ve only known him for three days!”

Sandwiched between the two men, Marinette didn’t know why she had been scared of them being similar, because they were quite the opposite. Damian was tall, dark, serious, and was protective. His actions spoke louder than words. While Adrien, while he claimed that he loved his friends, he did very little to actually keep them safe, going as far to keep the wool over everyone’s eyes and let Lila run wild. He certainly hadn’t cared about her misery, when she became an outcast, when Chloe became so bullied when her father was forcibly removed from being mayor, that she moved to a different school, he stood by, so afraid to create any sort of ripples, not realizing that a typhoon was already going on in front of him.

“I think we should go, it’s getting a bit unsavory here.” Marinette turned her back to Adrien, making his eyes narrow in fury. The couple, leaving everyone stare after them as they stepped out into Gotham.

“Good morning, everyone! Are you all prepped for your free day?” Miss Bustier strode on, completely unaware of what had just happened. Behind her, Miss Bourbon facepalmed at her mentor’s inability to read the fucking room.

…

Marinette strode through Gotham City park with Damian, beaming when they held hands, lacing their fingers. When she glanced up at him, she could see his cheeks had gone rosy, a small smile tugging on his lips.

“I’ll admit, I’m kind of nervous. You know, about this, about us. I mean, I’ve only known you for a few days.” Marinette forced out, leaning her head on his shoulder. She felt herself relax when he gave her hand a light squeeze, urging her to continue. “I… I don’t want to rush into anything, but I want to try and see where this can go. We just need to have some boundaries, because the last time I rushed into love, I got hurt.”

“Was it Agreste?” Damian let go of her hand and wrapped an arm around her when she shivered. At her nod, he rolled his eyes. The boy seemed like a coward to the vigilante, and a spoiled brat. Ever since he first saw Adrien on a magazine cover, he had wanted to punch him in the face. Today just made things worse. “He is a fool, not seeing you were right there in front of him, Angel. But I do agree that we should take our time with this. I feel for you, but I don’t want to scare you, Angel. I’ve never had this attraction to another person before.”

“I’ll have to go back to Paris in five days.” Marinette pointed out as they walked by a statue of a couple. She gazed up at it, refusing to meet Damian’s searching gaze. "The morning after the Wayne gala, I'll be flying back… And I don't know when I'll be back."

"We can text, call, Skype, there's tons of ways to talk. I'm sure my father will have business in Paris from time to time, I can visit then too." Damian offered, gently taking hold on her shoulders and had her meet his gaze. "Angel, we can figure out what this is between us. We don't have to rush into anything, but we can take a slow pace, and when we figure it out, we can finally say what we are."

Marinette found herself tearing up all of the sudden, then hugged him, feeling his strong arms wrap around her, holding her tight. They stayed like that for a while, not moving as the snow fluttered around them. Finally, they pulled apart. 

"Come on, there's a nice little coffee shop around the corner. Then… Mari, I'd like you to meet my family. They won't stop teasing me, since I talk about you often, and they won't get off my back."

"Dinner? Up at Wayne Manor? Um… O-okay, but what should I wear?" Marinette whispered, her brows drawing together, creating that pensive look that made Damian want to kiss her brow. 

"Just dress casually. We're just normal people, Angel, we don't dine in high class suits." Damian teased, earning a light shove from Marinette

"Fine, I think I'd love to come to dinner, if Miss Bustier will allow it." Marinette rolled her eyes, knowing that Miss Bustier wouldn't care in the slightest. Damian chuckled, as if he had read her thoughts, then carefully lead her towards the café. For the rest of the afternoon, that’s where they stayed.

…

“Lila, girl, don’t let that creep bother you, he doesn’t deserve you anyways. You always have Adrien, right?” Alya soothed, having dragged Lila and her boyfriend out for an afternoon of retail therapy. They were back in the clothing boutique they had been yesterday, eyeing the gorgeous dresses on display. Nino was off, looking for a good records store so that he didn’t deal with the toxic gossip. He had lost his confidence in dumping Alya.

“There’s the dress, Lila!” Alya pointed to the mannequin in the middle of the store, where a bronze coloured dress was, before she turned to the nearest employee. “We’d like to attempt that dress, please.”

The employee smiled, though it was a bit at the girl’s broken English. She took the dress off the mannequin and guided Lila through the posh boutique and to the changing rooms. Once Lila was inside, the tearful, heartbroken personality dropped and she scowled. The young Italian girl stripped down to her underwear and inspected herself in the mirror.

How on earth could Damian Wayne not want her? She was the definition of the perfect Italian beauty. She fluffed her hair, put into her signature hairstyle, to her beautiful, perfect face. Her hands slid over her petite chest, her slim waist and thighs. She was every man’s fantasy come to life, she knew that if she got Damian in bed, he’d be under her complete control.

She pulled on the dress, feeling the silk hug her curves perfectly. She was small, dainty, not a cow with flabby tits like Marinette had gained. She had heard about guys preferring ‘thick’ women, but she knew it was a lie. Miss Bourbon, the ugly cow, and Marinette had never had a boyfriend in their lives, so that just further proved her point.

“Lila, does it fit?” Alya called in, breaking her from her thoughts. Lila rolled her eyes and stepped out of the dressing room, grinning when she heard an excited squeal from her special toy. “That looks killer on you! That Wayne kid is an idiot for cheating on you with Mari. Hey, I got an idea, how about you wear that to the Wayne gala at the end of the trip? Show him what he’s really missing, make him beg for you back! That’d be big news, Damian Wayne crawling on his hands and knees to get his beautiful Lila back!”

“Do you really think that could work? I-I don’t want to force Damibear to take me back, it isn’t his fault that Marinette seduced him away by having sex with him, he’s a guy..” Lila sniffled and hugged herself tightly, as if to hold herself together. She wiped away her tears and hugged Alya tightly, to hide her grin. “I bet if you get us together, he’d be so appreciative towards you, Alya, he’d give you any favour you’d ask for…”

The thought made Alya perk up as Lila rushed back into the changing room. The two girls soon strode to the check out and Alya took out Nino’s debit card, the starry look of hope still in her eyes as she paid for Lila’s dress. As they exited the store, she missed seeing Lila shred up the receipt and take the tag off of the dress, promptly tossing them into the trash.

“Hey, babe, you guys get what you needed?” Nino strode up, all smiles as he hugged his girlfriend, kissing her cheeks, half listening to the response she gave. “Hey, there’s this cool track they have in the store and I just wanna grab it right quick, it could be pretty awesome to use in my next DJing gig. Can I have my wallet, babe?”

“Sure thing, just don’t keep us waiting too long, okay? I need to get back to the hotel and get a story put up.” Alya shrugged, halfheartedly handing the wallet to Nino before she turned back to Lila, going back to trash talking Marinette and Evangeline.

A few minutes went by, before Alya caught sight of Nino storming out of the records store, looking murderous. He grabbed Alya’s arm and dragged her close.

“Did you just spend around three hundred euros of my money at that boutique?” He hissed in barely contained anger, his eyes narrowing. 

“Yeah, I had to get something for Lila. She just got dumped, Nino, she really needed it.” Alya explained, frowning at her boyfriend. “Lila needs to get Damian back, she’s not letting Marinette win without a fight.”

“Alya, for the love of god, did you not hear what the Wayne guy said earlier? He never fucking dated her, he had never seen her before in his life.” Nino loosened his grip and stepped back before he did something he would regret. He ran his fingers through his hair. "Maybe if you actually listened for five fucking minutes, instead of having your nose in your phone or taking in Lila's bullshit, you would have gotten the message!"

"... Did Marinette and the pedophile get to you? Nino, you should know better, Marinette's been bullying Lila ever since she came to France, why would you take her side?" Alya demanded, shoving Nino back. Lila took a step back and grinned, noticing the gathering crowd.

"Alya, stop it! You took my debit card without asking and bought a three hundred dollar dress! I have less than ten euros left in my bank account!" Nino yelled, throwing his arms up in the air. Did she just not get it?! "You don't just do that, Alya, not over a dress for your stupid friend! Why didn't you use your own money?!"

"Nino, stop being selfish! You can make more money on your next gig, I need to help Lila get Damian back, my blog is at stake!" Alya pleaded, then set her hands on her hips, shaking her head. "Besides, I need my money for that new microphone that's coming out in a few weeks, to make my videos sound better."

"Fuck, it's always about you! About Lila! You never think, Alya, you just see the bright, sparkly thing and grab for it, without seeing the nails you'll have to walk on! You don't even care about me, all you care about is that stupid excuse of a blog you've got!" Nino roared. But his head snapped back when Alya's hand connected when his cheek, his glasses flew from his face and clattered loudly across the floor.

The air in the room was tense.

"N- Nino…" Alya's voice dropped to a shaky whisper as she stared in shock at her own hand, that was now reddening from pain. "I- I… I'm.."

"Just… Enough, Alya." Nino walked over and retrieved his now cracked glasses. He didn't give her a backwards glance and made his way towards the exit.

"Nino…? Wait, Nino? Nino, wait!" Alya screeched, hot tears sliding down her cheeks. She screamed after Nino, begging for him to come back, before it turned into a violent torrent of curses and vile insults. Quickly, she dropped to her knees in a sobbing mess.

 Lila knelt beside her and gathered her friend into her arms, hiding her victorious smile in the girl's hair.

Tag list:

@realrandomposts @2sunchild2 @virgil-is-a-cutie @thepeacetea @interobanginyourmom @ladybug-182 @ladylb @zalladane @mochinek0 @poshplumcot @urbanpineapplefarmer @vixen-uchiha @angelofmusickaterinapetrova @thewheezingbubbledragon @northernbluetongue @violatiger8 @thequestionablyhuman @ginamarie1512 @maude-zarella @saphiraazure2708 @ayuchan07 @mindfulmagics

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

Starfish in the sand

Collecting seashells is fun! Finding little treasures in the sand is something that never gets old. It's one of the little wonders of nature that keeps on giving.

Seashells are so cool and fascinating to look at. No two are alike and you never know what you'll find in the sand. Once in a while unique shells pop up in the beach, like these golden starfish ones. I don't know how long they'll stick around, so I try to collect a bunch to keep and give as gifts.

Jamie and Nedra have been staying at the camp for a while, enjoying the scenery and activities. It's been a long time since Jamie visited and this is Nedra's first time. A few days later Chrissie, Theda, Jean, and Emma joined us - which was why Jamie and Nedra stuck around.

So we've been having fun collecting seashells and doing craft projects with them. We made jewelry, decorated furniture, painted them, put together gift bags - there's a lot you can do with seashells! It's also nice to just chill and hang out with friends - especially Jean and Nedra as I haven't seen much of them since the entourage disbanded.

Jean's an actress and model with an interesting story regarding her family. Around the same time she joined the entourage, she had reunited with her father, who she hadn't seen in over 20 years. Up until she was around 5 Jean was raised by her mom. After she died, her dad decided to come back into her life and change his ways, abandoning the life of a conman. So he married his longtime partner and adopted Jean in hopes of starting over.

Unfortunately things didn't quite work out. Although Jean and her dad got along well, he fell back into his old schemes by stealing from heiress Agathe Dieudonne when he was going through some financial problems. The heiress forgave him since she took a liking to Jean and offered to send her to a prestigious boarding school in France so she can see the world. When her dad's old ways of living started to catch up with him, he and her stepmom decided to take up Agathe's offer so Jean could have a better life.

Over the years Jean kept in touch with her dad and stepmom through letters. Agathe doted on her like a granddaughter and used her connections to keep an eye on Jean's dad to make sure he was doing okay. Jean became aware of his past when she grew older, and the way she sees it, the conman and her dad are two different people. The fact that he tried his best and was willing to give her up so she could have a better upbringing is more than enough for her.

When she moved back to the states to pursue Broadway, Jean set out to reunite with her dad. It surprisingly wasn't too hard to find him and her stepmom as they happened to live on Peace Coast Island, not too far from where Jean was when she was in the entourage. Since then they've made up for a lot of lost time and Jean makes time in her busy schedule to visit often.

In a few weeks, Jean will be on tour for a show and one of the stops is the island. Coincidentally, Nedra's gonna be touring too and so she'll be performing a few nights at Starlight as well. The two became good friends through Jamie, becoming mentors for a drama program at Starlight Theatre as well as regular performers there for a time. Since the entourage disbanded they became super busy so it's nice that they finally got together for a long overdue meet up.

I told Jean about how Marlo's a huge fan of her and like Nedra, she's down to returning to the camp to meet her. We're still working out the details but Nedra and Jean will coordinate their schedules while I check in with Marlo and Don. It's gonna be fun having them all together!

Things have been the same old in Camellia according to Theda. Chrissie pops in for a visit every now and then, usually to bother Tanner or cause mischief with Lala, Theda, and sometimes Delwyn. It's good to hear that he's been doing much better these days - still, Edvin's absence continues to be a gaping presence.

Theda was right when she said that sooner or later, they'll move on and be okay - but it doesn't change the fact that what's gone is gone. And I fully agree with her.

Chrissie has also been spending a lot of time with Emma and her nieces and nephew, especially now that Emma lives about 15 mins away. She mentioned that Rocky and Lex have their hands full with the babies, which is why she's been bothering other friends. Emma doesn't mind as she's still adjusting to living in Cityburg, a drastic change of scenery after spending most of her life in a moderately sized suburban town.

Emma's doing a lot better since moving out and living with her brother Danny and his kids. She always got along with her mom's side of the family better than her dad's. Her mom's the type of parent who tends to be a bit overly critical of her kids but means well and just wants the best for them. As for Emma's father, he clearly favors her younger brother while putting Emma down for pretty much everything.

What prompted Emma to leave - aside from the threat of getting cut off financially - was something unforgivable her younger brother did. It's a fucking mess and if he keeps this up, I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up destroying him. It also didn't help that their father contributed by adding fuel to the fire.

Basically, the brother's one of those shitty tabloid people who profits out of ruining lives. The incident involved a close friend of Emma's, who died unexpectedly due to illness. The brother, who hated the friend for petty reasons, got a hold of Emma's phone, looked through her texts and took a lot of her conversations with her friend out of context to paint the friend and her family in a bad light.

In short, he turned a bunch of texts into "signs" that the friend was likely murdered by her family. He also revealed private information about the friend and how she was going through a rough time, claiming those as motives for why her family wanted her dead. He also made it look like Emma was the one to bring up the speculation, which the family knows is a load of bullshit. To those who knew the friend, it's clearly a pathetic attempt to ruin someone's name for clout.

As a result of the incident, Emma's mom had enough and kicked the father out, which Emma said was long overdue. As for her younger brother, her mom hasn't disowned him (yet) but she's made it clear how she found what he did despicable. Danny never approved of his stepfather and didn't get along with the youngest, so his reaction to what happened was along the lines of disappointed but not surprised.

Since I last saw Emma, things have improved a lot between her and Margie. Although they're aunt and niece, they've always gotten along more like sisters. While Rusty and Linda took quickly to having their aunt move in, there was some tension with Margie, though it had nothing to do with Emma personally. Margie was forced to grow up quickly after their other dad, Terry, and older sister Sherry, died last year, so things haven't been easy for the family.

With Danny having trouble balancing work and family life and Emma having problems at home, he decided to take her in. Emma says their mom has mixed feelings about it, believing that Danny's giving her an easy way out. If anything, I think Emma's a hard worker, but not in a way a capitalist society approves of it. In other words, capitalism can't profit off someone like her, so it sees her as useless. By living with Danny, an entertainer who not only understands what she's going through, but has also made a successful life for himself and his kids, Emma can freely pursue her creative passions without worries.

Right now, Emma's been working on creating content for her channel, posting journal with me videos and vlogging everyday life. She hopes to open her own sticker shop one day so Daisy Jane's gonna help her with that when the time comes. For now, she wants to focus on developing her art style by experimenting and studying other artists before getting into all that. I'm so excited to see where this will take her!

Chrissie and Theda have been really into making charms so that's what we're gonna do with the tiny seashells. I think the little starfish shells make the prettiest charms, especially on a bracelet. We also have some jewelry wire so I'm thinking of making earrings too. It's been years since I've made earrings so it's good to finally use up those earring hooks.

For the larger seashells, we're thinking of using them to decorate furniture. Theda used a bunch of seashells to decorate an old mirror she found while thrifting with Daisy Jane and it looks sooooo pretty! The decor and the gold paint looks like a vintage picture frame with the starry seashells giving it a sorta celestial vibe. I'm still not sure what to decorate yet but I'm considering one of the old bookshelves that's sitting in storage that has been in need of fixing up for a while.

Emma's been filming footage for her vlogs so I try to do a bit of everything so she can have the full camping experience. So far it's mostly sightseeing, crafting, and chilling with the campers. From what it looks like, Emma's considering splitting the content into two videos - one for seashell crafting and one for sightseeing. I'm flattered that she can get so much out of the camp!

Jean and Nedra find the camp a good spot to unwind from their busy lives. Before meeting up with the others Jean visited her dad and stepmom, who will see her again when she returns to Starlight for opening night. She also said the next time she drops by, she plans to come via plane as she's a pilot, like Chrissie. I think Marlo would die on the spot when she finds out that she would be in a plane flown by Jean Theodora!

Today was a low key day where we wandered around, enjoying the sights and taking it slow. We actually didn't do too much crafting today, which is fine as we tackled a lot of big projects early on so we were kinda running low on shells. So we ended up with a pretty good haul and a bunch of new ideas for craft projects.

No matter how busy or chill the days are, we always find ourselves back at the beach, searching for starfish in the sand.

[bella-spil]

2 Romeos & 1 Juliet- Part 6

Part 6.  Fem reader.  Bucky, loki, Steve, Tony, Thor.

Warnings: Reader is only in the story in the beginning.  The rest, the reader is gone.  Cursing, confusion(make sure you read carefully)

Word Count: 3.8k

Taglist:  (plz join, I Love when you guys want to read my stories.  Also, feedback helps and let me know you enjoy the story)  @angrythingstarlight​ @kmuir1​ @sea040561​ @wednesday-add-em​  (also credit for this series idea goes to @kmuir1​)

A/N: this is the second to last part of this series.  Make sure you know the rest of the story before jumping into this one.  I don’t want you to get confused and not know what’s going on.  Also if it isn’t confusing, maybe it’s just me.  But enough chit chat.  Enjoy!

“HEY! GET OFF OF HER!”

“WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?”

Suddenly, the door burst open.  You were lying on the bed, not sure exactly what was happening or who was in the room, but suddenly, Bucky was ripped off of you.  

Then a different face hovered over yours, one that was familiar.  Steve Rogers was trying to get you to snap out of whatever daze you were in, except you were drugged.  Your mind was clouded by a strange haze, a fog that blocked you from doing anything.  Your body felt like silly putty, unable to do anything on it’s own without some help.  

“Thor!  Bring her to the medical wing, and tell Natasha to watch her.  Then come back immediately.” Steve ordered.  Steve helped lean you over the bed, and Thor lifted you bridal style to the medical wing.  

Bucky was so close, but Tony appeared out of thin air and tore him off of you.  Tony slammed Bucky to the wall, making sure he wouldn’t leave his sights.

“Barnes?”  Tony asked, confused.  “F.R.I.D.A.Y., make sure Barnes doesn’t leave this room.”

“Understood, boss,” the A.I. responded.  

“Bucky, what the fuck were you thinking?” Steve asked once you left the room with Thor.

“Why the Hell do you think you can just barge into the fucking room, punk?” Bucky answered back.

“Because we can,” Tony responded.  “And there were cameras that were watching your every move.  The little A.I. in the house, yeah, she notified me that someone was attempting to rape Y/N.  So me and Capsicle were going to stop her.”

“Bucky why would you try to rape her?” Steve asked.  “I’ve known you forever and with all the other girls, you’ve never even thought of drugging her.”

“That’s because she isn’t like other girls,” Bucky answered, licking his lips.  “She was going to be mine. Once and for all.”  

As soon as those last four words left his mouth, Steve sucker-punched Bucky dead in the face.  Blood started dripping all over Bucky’s face, and on Steve’s knuckles.  Bucky didn’t even try to fight back.  Instead, he just hissed like a snake at the sudden blow to the face.  Bucky’s hair was spread all over his face.  The blood was dripping steadily from his face to his shirt, and down to the floor.

Tony was standing there, pointing his hand, which had on part of his suit, at Barnes, making sure he wouldn’t try to escape.  

“Alright, enough chit chat.  Let’s talk.” Steve started.

“What drug?” Tony asked.

“Rohypnol,” Bucky answered calmly, careful to not give too much info.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., what’s that drug Bucky just said?” Steve asked.

“Of course, Mr. Rogers,” F.R.I.D.A.Y. began.  “The drug that Mr. Barnes listed was Rohypnol.  Known in the streets as R-2, roofies or forget-me-pills.  One of the top three rape drugs.  Used to make the user sleepy, confused, and often forget what happened while they were on it.  Kicks in 30 minutes after use and the user is in that state for more than a couple hours on end.  It lowers defenses and makes it harder to move the body to escape.”

“Where did you get the drug?” Tony asked, blaster still pointed to Bucky.

“Here,” Bucky smirked, licking his lips again to get the blood off his mouth.

“What? That's impossible, how?” Tony said, confused.

“Of course.  Bucky has the drug for medical purposes.  To help him cope with his days in H.Y.D.R.A.” Steve realized.

“You son of a bitch!” Tony shouted, landing another punch at Bucky.  This time it was right in the gut.  Bucky collapsed to the floor, clutching to his stomach and whimpering in pain.  He had to take a couple deep breaths to speak properly again.

“Ya know, without your little robot, and your stupid cameras, you wouldn’t be here right now.” Bucky said, grinning at Avengers standing in front of him.  “I would have won.”

“I thought she was your friend,” Steve said, shocked at the sudden change of behavior in his longtime friend.

“She was my mission,” Bucky said with zero remorse.

“Who was your mission?”

Bucky was standing outside of the room, his hair messed up and his eyes were tired, with tiny, almost invisible bags.  But Bucky was also in the room, bloody and talking.  Two Bucky’s.

Steve and Tony looked at each other in disbelief.  They had no clue what to believe.  Suddenly Bucky was about to rape his crush and now another Bucky was standing outside the room.  Their worlds were spinning.  Their eyes were flashing back and forth between the two of them.  Making sure that this was real and not some monitor.  But it was real alright, and everyone could see it.

“What the hell?” Tony said.

“Get in here.” Steve ordered the Bucky outside the room.  

That Bucky looked confused, seeing himself on the floor all bloody.  He had no clue what was going on, since he was out for the whole day.  It was like seeing the Winter Soldier in a completely different body.  Seeing himself as the monster the rest of the world saw him as.  Now he knew what fear was.  He could see the monster through his own eyes, not through a reflection.  The bloody, cold hearted assassin.  The Winter Soldier.

He had also never heard Steve talk to him with such authority, like Steve had no clue who he was.  It was like a nightmare, his friend for life treating him like a criminal.  Even though he was already, Steve believed in him.  But now, it was the complete opposite.

“Lean on the wall,” Tony ordered and two Buckys were standing next to each other.  

Looking at each other like they saw Satan himself.  They looked exactly alike, so much so that it was scary.  The only differences were the blood, clothes and how the bloody Bucky shaved, having no hair on his face.  The other Bucky had a little stubble, and he looked a little less messy.

Then Thor walked back into the room.  He looked at the situation and he had to do a double take at the events.  Two Buckys were standing in front of him, along with a confused Steve and a distraught Tony.

“What in Odin’s beard is going on?” Thor asked, just as lost as Steve.

“We were interrogating the bloody Bucky and then another Bucky walked into the room.” Steve explained, running his hands through his hair.

“Ok,” Tony began, turning his attention to the lookalikes.  “The Bucky that just walked in the room, yeah you, you’re Bucky #1.  Bloody Bucky, you’re Bucky #2.”  The Buckys nodded and just waited silently.

“Thor, watch them while me and Cap come up with a game plan.  If they do something, strike them.” Tony ordered.

“Good,” Thor said.  “Just as long as we’re all in agreement.”

He lifted up his hands and suddenly, Stormbreaker and Mjolnir were transported right into his fingertips.  His eyes were glowing and his outfit changed from sweats to his battle outfit.  He stared at the two Bucky’s with such intensity that Bucky #1 gulped.

“I don’t like it,” Steve said, turning his back from Thor and huddling with Tony.

“Why?  Bloody Mary giving up so easily?” Tony asked.

“I don’t remember it being this easy.  Bucky can pack a wallop,” Steve said.

“Well, you might have missed a couple things, doing time as a Capsicle,” Tony countered.

“Yeah I know, I know.  What we should be discussing is what to do.” Steve said.

“Well, you know Bucky the best, right?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Well, let’s test that knowledge,”

“Which means?”

“I mean ask the Bucky’s questions that only the real Bucky would know.  That will help give us a clearer shot of who is who.” Tony cleared.

“Understood,” Steve nodded back.  

Then the two Avengers turned back around to see Thor watching the two Bucky’s very closely.  So far, they haven’t made any attempt to get out of the room.  

“Alright.  Since we don’t know whose who, I am going to ask some questions.  The real Bucky would know the answer to all of these.  If you get one or more wrong, well, let's say Fury will have a ball with you.” Steve said.

“First question is for Bucky #2.  After the Sokovia Accords, how many years did you go back under for?” Steve asked.  

“2 years,” Bucky #2 answered without hesitation.

“Bucky #1,” Steve started.  “What military group did you serve in and what was your ranking?”

Bucky #1 smiled, the thought of all his old memories reminding him of some of the best moments in his life.  Before he answered, he cleared his throat and lifted his chin just a little.

“The one-o-seventh.  Sergeant James Barnes.” Bucky said, reliving his memory.  

Steve grinned just a little, not to make it look like he already knew who was the real Bucky.  Just to enjoy his past.

“Bucky #2, how many Avengers and/or people involved with S.H.I.E.L.D. have you harmed or killed?” Steve asked.

Bucky #2 had to think for a moment, thinking of all the people he has to remember.  There’s so many, so many innocent people, so many.  And a little amount of criminals.

“I shot Natasha.  Killed Tony’s parents.  I know I killed JFK, but I don’t know the exact number of all the others.  H.Y.D.R.A. wiped my mind so many times so I can’t remember a number, but I remember all of them.” he answered.  

The room got quiet for a minute, since the answer was very dark.  But once Tony cleared his voice for Steve to start again, then it got back to being serious.

“Bucky #1, in WWII, you saved my life.  How?” Steve asked.

“Well,” Bucky #1 began.  “We were going into a H.Y.D.R.A. base to take down the building, soldiers and whatever else.  You were walking to the building while I was waiting in the bushes.  While you were walking, you didn’t see a soldier in a window or something, so you almost were killed.  But luckily, I was able to kill him before I lost you.”

“Bucky #2, last question.  What was my mom’s name?” Steve asked.

Bucky #2 froze for a moment or so.  He had almost forgotten completely.  Steve and him never really talked about his mom, only in the 40’s, so it made it harder to remember.  But, a lightbulb went off, and he knew it now.

“Your mom’s name is Sarah,” Bucky answered, his voice a little bit raspy.

Steve knew that only a few people knew his mom's name, including Bucky.  So hearing that Bucky knew was a clear indication that Bucky #2 was the Bucky that saved his ass multiple times.

“Bucky #1, last question.  When my mom died, what did you say to me?” Steve asked, hoping he would get an answer.

Bucky #1 knew the answer by heart.  This was one of his most prominent memories.  This was how he was able to become the old Bucky.  This was how he was able to snap out of the Winter Soldier, and how he saved Steve’s life once again.

“When your mom died, you didn’t go to the funeral,” Bucky #1 began.  “You were just happy that she was next to your dad.  I tried to offer you to live at my place, said you could if you shined my shoes and took out the trash.  But being you, you refused, saying you could get by on your own.  But you nearly forgot your keys to your apartment.  I told you that you didn’t have to get by on your own.  I put my hand on your shoulder and told you that I was with you till the end of the line.  And I still am.  I’m with you till the end of the line, pal.”

Steve never heard Bucky express his feelings this much, so now, he was torn.  

His mind was telling him Bucky #2, the one drugged and that almost raped his friend, the one that was bloody all over the floor, the one that knew his mom’s name.  His mind was telling him that this was the real Bucky, the one he spent WWII with.

But his heart was telling him a different story.  It was telling him Bucky #1 was the real, true Bucky.  The one that served with him, the one that saved his life, the one that was with him till the end of the line.  

He knew Bucky never really expressed his emotions but while answering the final question, Bucky poured his heart out to let Steve know that it was really him.  Even on one of the other questions, Bucky chuckled a little bit, something that Bucky rarely did.  His heart was telling him that this was the Bucky that he spent his life with.

Steve was lost, conflicted, confused.  Should he believe the Bucky who stumbled in here only a little while ago or the one that almost raped his friend?  

“Tony, I don’t know,” Steve confessed.

“What do you mean ‘you don’t know?’” Tony snapped back.

“They both answered all the questions correctly, and my mind and my heart are telling me two different things,” Steve answered.

“Ok, Stark, why don’t you ask them a question?” Thor offered.

“Good idea, Point Break,” Tony agreed, and he cleared his throat before asking the question that would answer everyone’s questions.

“After the Airport Battle in Berlin, Steve and Bucky headed to the H.Y.D.R.A. base to find Zemo and to stop him from awakening the other Winter Soldiers.  And I followed them, to tell Steve that I was wrong.  But Bucky,” he paused, looking both Bucky’s dead in the eye.  “Bucky did something that put me off guard.  And to snap him out of it, I called him something.  What was it?”

Both Bucky’s stopped to think for a moment.  They were deep in thought, racking through their memories as if it was a library.  Bucky #1 was still thinking while Bucky #2 sighed and just gave up.

“What did you call me?” Bucky #2 asked.  “How the hell would I remember that?  That’s such a stupid thing to ask.”

“Manchurian Candidate.”  Bucky answered.  “You called me Manchurian Candidate since I didn’t lower my weapon.”

Then Bucky #2’s eyes widened.  He was shocked that the other one knew.  And suddenly, all the eyes in the room were on him.

“That’s not Bucky,” Steve said.

“No shit,” Bucky #1 said.

“Speaking of,” Tony said.  “Where is Loki?”

Everyone in the room stood like statues, trying to retrace the last time they saw Loki that day, but came up empty handed.  But Thor looked like he saw a ghost.  It all came together like a puzzle for him.  Everything fit.  Once he realized, he pinned Bucky #2 to the wall, pressing Mjolnir up to his chest.

“Thor, what are you doing?” Steve panicked.

“You’re really gonna make me do this?” Thor asked Bucky #2, whispering so Bucky #2 would only hear.

“Do what?” Bucky #2 asked.

Then Thor’s eyes started to glow and lightning was surging through his body.  He was going to strike him.  Thor pressed the hammer harder and harder into Bucky #2’s chest, causing him to yell in pain.

“I’ll see you on the other side, brother,” Thor whispered, getting ready to strike the life outta Bucky #2.  

The power was starting to grow stronger and stronger, to the point where Bucky #2 had to surrender.

“Alright!  I yield!” he shouted, moving out of the way so he wouldn’t get hit.  But he wasn’t the same person he was before.  He changed, dramatically.

It was Loki.

The whole time.

Loki tried to rape you.  To claim you, to own you, to make you his.  Once and for all.

“Surprise,” Loki grinned, cheesily.

The room was full of silence and rage and disbelief.  Steve’s mouth dropped to the floor.  Tony was frozen.  Thor was standing in front of the God of Mischief with anger written all over his face.  

Bucky was clenching his left fist.  Rage, fury, and everything like that was surging through his body, fueling his veins and his muscles like oil.  He was ready to rev up like a car and deliver a blow to knock Loki out.  He was about to punch the life out of Loki, but Steve and Tony were holding him back.

“Bucky stop!  He’s not worth it!” Steve shouted, and Bucky finally resisted the urge to smack some sense into Loki.

“Can I punch him after you're done talking to him?” Bucky asked.

“Sure,” Tony said.  “Now start from the beginning.”

Loki took a deep breath before starting.

“Everything was fine without you, Bucky,” Loki started.  “Without you in the picture, Y/N would have been mine.  My queen.”

“Yet she didn’t kiss you,” Bucky muttered.

“My plan was to get Bucky out of the picture first,” Loki said.

“So that’s why I was feeling so shitty today,” Bucky realised.  “What the Hell did you give me?”

“Same thing, roofies,” Loki admitted.

“Where did you get them from?” Thor asked.

“Bucky.  I stole them,” Loki said.

“Continue Reindeer Games,” Tony said.

“I thought if I could make Y/N believe that Barnes was a true villain, then she would be in the palm of my hand.  If I could make Bucky do something that would hurt her in unexplainable ways, I would win.  So, if I was able to transform into Bucky, while she believed he was sick, I could make her mine.  

“I was going to take her somewhere that Bucky would, for example that weird diner.  At the diner, while she was in the bathroom, I snuck a roofie in her glass.  She drank more than enough to get the job done.  But the drug takes 30 minutes to kick in, so I stalled for some time and right as we pulled in the driveway, she was done for.  I helped her to my room, and I undressed her.  Then I undressed and I was on top of her, but then you barged in and ruined my plan.” Loki said.

Everyone was appalled by his confession, Bucky more so than anyone.  He was appalled that someone could go to such extreme levels to do something that chaotic to someone.  It was worse than H.Y.D.R.A. and that was saying something.

“How did you know the answers?  How did you know my mom’s name?” Steve asked.

“Truth be told, I didn’t.  I just took a wild guess,” Loki chuckled.

“If you loved her, you wouldn’t hurt her,” Bucky said.  

He was getting emotional.  The thought of someone hurting you, raping you, was bringing tears to his eyes.  He loved you with all his heart, and he couldn’t let someone do those things to you.  

“If you loved her, you would tell her you love her.  You wouldn’t force her to love you.  You wouldn’t force her to be something she isn’t.  Hell, you wouldn’t put a relationship, my relationship with her, in danger.  I was one of the first people to meet her.  I have known her longer than you.  I know she would kill you right now if she wasn’t drugged.” Bucky said.

“I’m the God of Mischief.  I show my love through actions, not words,” Loki smirked.  “Besides, aren’t we all sinners?”  

Bucky was about to go kick Loki, but Steve held him back again.  But Bucky was too hurt, too angry, to let Captain America stop him.  He shoved Steve off of him like he was a doll and he proceeded to Loki.  Tony tried blasting Bucky, but with his new vibranium arm, he was invincible to a little blast, even though Tony promised him he could hit Loki.  He was able to throw Tony across the room, as if Tony was a pebble.  But then Thor stood in his way, blocking him from his target.

“James,” Thor started, but Bucky wasn’t hearing any of it.  Bucky just walked past Thor.  

Thor wanted to stop Bucky, but he was in this spot before.  Seeing so many people die, that he cared about, put some perspective in him.  On one hand, Thor knew stopping Bucky was the right thing to do.  After all, Loki was his brother.  But on the other hand, Thor knew he would beat up Loki to a pulp if he was in Bucky’s position.  Loki deserved to be in Hell with Hela for his actions.  So, he let Bucky proceed.

“THOR! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?  STOP HIM!!” Steve shouted.

“No,”  Thor said.

Bucky was standing right in front of Loki, looking at the God with such hatred.

“You’re my mission,” Bucky said, before blowing Loki dead in the face.  

Bucky kept hitting Loki like he was a punching bag.  Bucky punched him in the face, the chest, the stomach, anywhere he possibly could.  Hitting Loki was getting all the rage, frustration and sadness out of the Winter Soldier.  Blow after blow, Loki's head kept bouncing back and forth.  But Bucky kept swinging.  Blow after blow, Bucky could feel the tears running down his face.  The emotions were pouring out of him, uncontrollably.  He was letting the tears run down his face and on Loki, and he delivered one, final, head crushing punch in the face.  

With that punch, Loki was all bloody, even worse than before.  He had two black eyes, bruises, scrapes, cuts, anything you could imagine, it was there.  Blood was rolling from the top of his head to his chest.  His eyes were closed, but he was still breathing.  

Bucky got off of Loki and started to cry into Steve’s shoulder.  Steve was taken aback.  Bucky had never done this before.  So when he did, Steve felt like he was getting a bit of the old Bucky back.  After a few minutes Bucky calmed down, wiping the tears off of his face, and standing stronger than he was before.

“Tony, you and Thor take Loki to Fury.  Fury will have a field day with him,” Steve ordered.  

Tony gave Steve a little salute and Thor nodded before obeying his orders.  Tony carried the God’s legs while Thor took his back, and they carried him out of the room, not being careful.  Bucky and Steve could hear the two of them purposefully bumping Loki into furniture.      

“Can I see her?” Bucky asked, hopefully.

“If you go now, she will still be out,” Steve reasoned.

“I need to see her, awake or not,” Bucky pleaded.

“Ok, just let me know when she is awake.  You know, she might not be able to remember what happened tonight, so if you want to explain it to her, go ahead, but you always know where to find me,” Steve said, giving Bucky a pat on the back before following Tony and Thor.

As soon as Steve left, Bucky ran to the medical wing.  He had to see you, make sure you were ok.  He had to explain what happened.  He had to tell you he loved you.  He had to make you his.

Once and for all.

[roaringdandelions]

INTRODUCING || Laguna Vista

because everything sounds better in Spanish, hee hee

|| About Laguna Vista

Welcome to Laguna Vista! This multi-functional lot features several fun activities for your Sims to partake in as they enjoy their time in the Sulani sunshine. Scroll down to learn more!

LOT DIRECTORY

|| First Floor

Seaside Serenity Yoga Studio SUNBURST Cap’n Carole’s Bakery & Cafe Shelley’s Paint Studio - feat. NEW! Paint Nite dates & paintings! Koko Krab Tiki Bar

|| Second Floor

Laguna Bay Apartments

Click below to see MANY screenshots and learn more about the lot’s many amenities! 

NOTE: This is a no-CC build located at the Lagoon Look location in Sulani, in the bottom-right corner of the map. I am still making additions to this build in the way of decorations and details but the basic structure will remain the same. If you are interested in downloading this, please let me know in the comments below! Please enjoy my lot descriptions and screenshots, I had a lot of fun working on them and I hope that they make you smile, or even laugh :D

|| Seaside Serenity Yoga Studio

Are you feeling a little tense? Have you had your body weight in kava and it still isn’t doing the trick? Head to Seaside Serenity Yoga Studio, where yoga classes are held throughout each day. This tranquil studio is guaranteed to make you feel relaxed, re-invigorated, and definitely limber. On-site lockers and showers allow you to sweat like a pig right before a public roast and still walk out fresh as a bougainvillea blossom!

LOCAL TIP: Wilhelmina Torriance, the studio’s primary owner and leading instructor, is a true believer in the idea that fish should not be hunted for recreation. If you happen to catch one while out fishing and decide not to eat it, you can bring it by the yoga studio and Wilhelmina may add it to her sizable aquarium! Your contribution may earn you a discount, while your behavior may earn you a disapproving glare.

|| SUNBURST

If you’ve just realized that you woefully under-packed for your vacation, or have a burning desire to spend your Simoleons on some new fashion and souvenirs, then look no further than SUNBURST, the area’s premier oceanside shop designed to meet your every need!

PLEASE NOTE: This famous retail mega-chain is still stocking its shelves and will be open to the public in the coming weeks - stay tuned to @SUNBURST for more details and tag us in a selfie using the hashtag #SunburstSelfie to win fabulous merchandise vouchers!

|| Cap’n Carole’s Bakery & Cafe

Carole Cunningham is a longtime member of the Sulani community and regarded as one of the sweetest, most personable ladies that you will meet during your stay in Sulani. A former captain in the Brindleton navy, she retired a few years ago and happily settled in to island living, where she harnessed her passion for baking and started her own bakery and cafe. Tourists and locals alike come to relax at her counter-top seating out of the hot, hot sun and enjoy delicious snacks and treats all made by the great captain herself. You haven’t truly experienced paradise until you’ve tried Cap’n Carole’s notorious “raspberry ridicules” - the exact recipe is a secret, but a recent write-up by a widely-acclaimed San Myshuno food critic’s blog has everybody rushing to get one for themselves!

LOCAL TIP: Looking for a discount? If Carole is behind the counter (and she usually is), say the phrase “oh Captain, my Captain!” at checkout for a ten percent discount off your total purchase - twenty percent if you can recite the poem to which that line refers!

|| Turtle Bay Paint Studio

Have you ever wanted to try your hand at painting, but do not own an easel, paint, or an ounce of talent? Have you ever wanted to use someone else’s supplies to give it a shot anyway AND mix in delicious local Sulani nectars while you make a fool of yourself on the canvas? Well, look no further than Turtle Bay Paint Studio! Shelley Makaheli is a locally-famous artist that finds great joy and passion for art in general and loves sharing her gift with tourists and locals eager to try their hand at creative expression. Sign up today for one of her super-fun Paint Nites and paint along with a professional artist while sipping on gorgeous nectar blends made right in Sulani! Why spend money on souvenirs when you can get juiced and make them yourself?

LOCAL TIP: Use promo code WINEABOUTLIFE for twenty percent off two or more Paint Nite tickets - perfect for a date night or a night out with your girlfriends!

|| Laguna Vista Marina & Watercraft Rentals

We get it: when you gotta go, you gotta go... out on the water, that is! Head to the back of Laguna Vista and rent one our high-caliber canoes and water scooters. Perfect for families of all ages looking for a little adventure in their day! Laguna Vista’s close proximity to nearby beaches and lagoon-side dining make rental use a breeze!

PLEASE NOTE: Locals and tourists with appropriate marina paperwork may also dock their personal watercraft at any available hitch post at one of our three docks.

||Koko Krab Tiki Bar

Tiki Time is all of the time! Recently opened by Sulani native (and local heartthrob, me-yow), Makoa Kealoha, this fun outdoor tiki bar is perfect for a quick drink out with friends, a date with a traveling stranger, or even a place to drown your sorrows when a dolphin rejects your offer of friendship. Enjoy lagoon views and ice cold drinks in the hot sun and dance the night away on the back porch and the marina docks - just try not to fall in the lagoon!

LOCAL TIP: We realize that yes, Mister Kealoha is handsome. Criminally so, some may say. We also realize that the hashtags #HubbyGoals and #ManCrushMonday were most likely inspired by him, and that he should play every romantic lead ever put on stage or in cinema, ever. But we hate to break it to you, ladies (and gentlemen) - he’s happily married, and in a frustrating turn of events, she’s absolutely lovely and they’re blissfully happy and they have a sweetheart of a son and a freaking adorable dog and it’s just so darn infuRIATING--

Ahem. So please, try to avoid sexually harassing him during your visit to Koko Krab Tiki Bar. It’s beginning to get a little out of hand.

|| Laguna Bay Apartments

Laguna Vista is proud to welcome you home to Laguna Bay Apartments, a beautiful new rental property now available to tourists looking for a downtown vacation home-away-from-home with immediate access to local flavors. Featuring two cozy apartment spaces, these unique rentals are perfect for a couple’s getaway and each come with a full kitchen, dining and relaxation spaces, bedrooms with lagoon views, and outdoor access to second-floor patios overlooking the shimmering waters of the lagoon. Traveling with your little pirate or mermaid? One apartment features a child’s bedroom with plenty of room for one child! Shared common areas and laundry service areas complete this lovely island escape. 

PLEASE NOTE: Book your stay now for the best deals! We can’t wait to welcome you home!

[krsnlove]

Happy Moments Collection

A/N: To fulfill a couple prompts from @alj4890​. For you, bff! A couple months late--oops. 

Pairing: Elliott McKingley [OC] x Amanda Bridgerton [bff’s OC] x Maxwell Beaumont

You can catch up here with these two crazies and their journey!

DUCHESS OF ST. ORELLA’S POWDER ROOM

Amanda closes her eyes for the third time, hoping with every fiber in her body she was seeing things. It happened all the time.

Especially with the accidental self-injuries she has caused through the years. The consequences were bound to show at some point in her life, right?

Right, she answered her own question, eyes still closed.

Double-vision. Of course.  

That’s all it was.

She took another deep breath and slowly exhaled before finally opening her eyes.

DUCHESS OF ST. ORELLA’S BEDROOM

Olivia sat back in the cushioned armchair with her latest copy of Knives Illustrated. An activity she normally enjoyed in the comfort of her own home if Amanda hadn’t asked for help.

Even then, there was a small chance she would have come.

But the opportunity to help Amanda in pulling off an April Fool’s joke on her fiancé was too good to pass up. After keeping their engagement a secret, she was all too willing to have a laugh at the expense of her best friend’s future husband.

Olivia stood from her seat and approached the powder room door.

“Hello?! There are only a number of ways one can pee on a stick, Amanda! It shouldn’t take this long!,” she impatiently calls through the door.

Olivia shook her head in disappointment.

She had tried to dissuade Amanda away from the world’s most cliché April Fool’s prank of the fake pregnancy with better suggestions such as lighting Elliott’s hair on fire or filling his briefcase with a firecracker. Much to her dismay, Amanda had turned down some of her best ideas.  

“I’d still like to marry him in one piece when this is over,” Amanda had told her.

The Scarlett Duchess went back to her seat and tried her hardest to focus on her magazine as she kept an eye on the powder room door. Maybe she should have stayed home after all, she thought with a bored sigh.

OTHER SIDE OF THE DUCHESS OF ST. ORELLA’S BEDROOM DOOR

“Seriously, breathe louder Maxwell. That’s great!,” Drake hissed.

Maxwell put his hands up and mouthed a silent Sorry.

Shaking his head in irritation, Drake turns back to the door and puts his ear against it once more.

A few moments pass as he attempts to listen for Amanda or Olivia’s voice.

“Do you hear anything?,” Maxwell whispered.

Drake pressed his ear closer, ignoring the question.

“Drake?,” Maxwell stuck his finger into his side, poking him. “Do you hear anything?”

“Yupp.”

“Really? Is it Amanda? What is she saying?!,” he asks in an excited whisper.

“It’s not Amanda.”

“Oh,” Maxwell said with a hint of disappointment. “What’s Olivia saying then?”

“It’s not Olivia either.”

Drake looked back to a confused Maxwell.

“Then who is—.”

“It’s you Maxwell! Shut up!,” he bit out.

Maxwell grimaced, mouthing another silent apology before running his two fingers across his lips in a zipping motion.

DUCHESS OF ST. ORELLA’S BEDROOM

Olivia perched herself against the bay window of Amanda’s bedroom, her arms folded across her chest in a serious look of contemplation.

Amanda, who finally emerged from the powder room a few minutes ago, continued to pace nervously around the room.

“So you…,” Olivia asked.

“Yeah.”

“But you didn’t…”

“Nope.”

“Which means you’re…”

“Uh-huh.”

“And you had…”

“No.”

“And Elliott doesn’t…”

“No clue,” Amanda answered as she finally stopped pacing and sat herself onto the bedroom floor. “Elliott...I haven’t even…”. Her breaths became short and rushed at the thought of him.

Olivia walked over and crouched beside Amanda, using the magazine in hand to fan over her.

“‘Liv...Elliott. He doesn’t...we just got engaged...and now…,” she closes her eyes in hopes for a moment of respite from the spinning room.

The two friends sit in silence for a few moments. Olivia kept herself busy with continuing the fanning motions with the magazine while Amanda stared blankly at the opposite end of the room.

Olivia’s voice is first to break through the quietness.

“Didn’t I warn you about shopping for a wedding dress while--”. She doesn’t finish her sentence, a pillow in her face prevents her from doing so.

LATER THAT NIGHT

“I’m out Beaumont.”

“What? Why?!,” Maxwell asks as he packs the last of his climbing equipment into a bag.

Drake notices the desperate look in his friend’s eyes drawing him in once again.

“Damn it Maxwell!,” he groaned. “You have to stop!”

“Stop what?,” Maxwell stopped to look up at his friend.

“Maxwell, they’re engaged.”

“Yeah. I know that.”

“You’re acting like you don’t,” Drake gestures towards the bag in his hand. “Think about it. You’re going to climb up to her bedroom window and hope to get her alone and talk with her.”

Maxwell looks at the bag in his hand, contemplating Drake’s words.

“Earlier we were creeping around her house like we were strangers.”

“In my defense, you said you’d help me find out.”

“Maxwell I meant I’d ask her face to face. Not have my ear against her door like an idiot.”

“I just need to see her--”.

“No,” Drake shook his head in defeat. “This isn’t something someone does just to see another person. This is crazy.”

Drake breathed a heavy sigh into the cool air of the night, taking in Maxwell’s tired features. He almost wasn’t recognizable, not since Amanda’s engagement had been announced. He hated to admit when Olivia was right but the desperate look in Maxwell’s eyes tonight was enough of a confirmation.

“She loves him, Maxwell,” he echoes Olivia’s reminder from the past several months. “They’re in love. Don’t complicate this for her. She deserves that much from you.”

THE DUCHESS OF ST. ORELLA’S BALCONY

Thoughts of the impending future race through her mind. She isn’t sure if the nausea gnawing at her was from the endless thoughts or…

She closes her eyes for a brief moment, pushing the thought away.

“Hey, you.”

She turns to the familiar voice, her stomach fluttering even before she sees him.  

Her eyes are greeted with his familiar 6’4 figure leaning against the balcony door, dressed in a crisp gray suit that highlighted his ice-blue eyes.

“Hi,” Amanda breathed a quiet sigh of relief at seeing him. Somehow the queasy feeling went away but had shifted into something more intense. Almost a peaceful feeling.

“Would you believe Winston almost had me wait downstairs for you?,” his tone was light and playful. That confident smirk on his lips that came easily to him, the same one that had been her undoing since that first night, only increased the butterflies--at least she hoped it was that--in the pit of her stomach.

“He isn’t wrong. A proper lady wouldn’t take a gentleman caller to her bedroom,” she was somehow able to think of something to say. “Think of the scandal we would cause.”

“Lucky for you,” Elliott walked towards her, “I enjoy a good scandal,” the grin on his face never fails to weaken Amanda’s senses.  

His hands slide around her waist, pulling her close. Elliott breathes in her scent before sighing contentedly. His lips graze past her own while softly kissing the line of her jaw until his mouth is inches from her ear.

“I’ve missed you,” he whispered.

Amanda felt a shiver down her spine at the intimacy. A frequent sensation she had become familiar with since beginning a relationship with Elliott.

“How...much...longer?,” he asks between the trail of kisses he begins from her ear down to her neck.  

“...Hmm?,” Amanda tries her hardest to focus on words as her eyes close in concentration.

“Wedding,” Elliott answered in between kisses. “You. Wife. Me. Husband. Us.”

Her eyes shoot open at the last word, suddenly remembering the day’s events.

Pushing away from a confused Elliott, she faces the view of her balcony with her back to him.

“Amanda?”

She doesn’t answer but the feeling of his arms come from behind her and pulls her to him, his hands settle across her chest before he places a kiss on her temple.

“What are you thinking about?,” his chin rests on the top of her head, looking out at the same view from the balcony.

She hesitates for a moment before answering, praying for courage and hoping it’ll be found within the next few moments. Until finally...

“Do you ever...you know, think about the future?,” the words begin to spill out.

OUTSIDE OF THE DUCHESS OF ST. ORELLA’S HOME

It was a known fact, Maxwell reassured himself as he tightened the harness, couples tend to think alike after some time. It was the only reasonable explanation why Drake had said what he had tonight.

The sound of the serene night filled his ears, complete with crickets and the ominous silence that would follow when one was alone.

He focused his thoughts on happier things as he looked up onto the familiar balcony. Thoughts of Amanda. And his plans once she saw him in her bedroom.

There was little chance Amanda’s longtime butler, Winston, would allow him in at this time of the night, leaving him little choice but to climb up to her room. Clearly she would come to the same conclusion when she found him waiting for her.

BACK ON THE BALCONY

Amanda nervously chewed on the bottom of her lip as she waited for the man she had fallen in love with to speak. Anything, she thought with desperation, was better than this awkward silence.

“Please say something…,” she begged.

She wasn’t sure what his reaction would be but the faraway look in his eyes she had seen once turning to face him wasn’t in the realm of possibilities. Stomping off in a fury or even yelling out in denial was one of the many scenarios she had played in her mind but not this, the deafening silence that was beginning to grow unpleasant.

“Elliott…,” she stares down at her hand still tucked into his in a now loose, almost lazy grip. As if all would be well if they were to separate in that very moment. The thought brings with it a stinging pain in her chest as she fights the urge to cry. She shook her hand free , breaking him from his own trance.

“It’s been a long night,” she turned away. “You should probably get some sleep. We can talk about it later.”

Despite her best effort, Amanda touches her fingers at the wetness of her cheeks, angry at herself. She could have at least waited until Elliott had left but her damned emotions had taken over. She barely is able to resist the urge to break into a sprint away from him, away from this conversation. Just away, she thought desperately, trying to create a larger distance between them.

“Stop!,” Amanda looks back at the sound of Elliott’s outburst, and then down at his hand gripping her wrist.

“Leave Elliott,” she said using her best authoritative voice.

“No.” He gently pulls her to him and Amanda finds herself being dragged into his sphere of his influence. One where she could never think straight, where her senses were robbed by his touch alone.

She doesn’t fight it though. How can she?

In a swift movement, Amanda’s eyes lock onto his chest. Not yet wanting to look into his face. Afraid of what she would find, most likely rejection, if she somehow mustered enough courage to do so. She had never been so grateful for their height difference until right now.

His large hands hold her shoulders and he closes the space between them, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“Look at me,” he whispered. She shook her head, knowing how weak she was in that moment. She couldn’t trust herself around him right now.

“Please.”

She stilled at hearing the vulnerability in his voice. It was an odd sound. One that didn’t belong and was all wrong for the man standing before her. Elliott McKingley was many things and insecure is definitely not one.

Curious if his face showed it, she slowly begins to tilt her head up when his hands cradle the sides of her face and she feels Elliott press the gentlest kiss on her lips. And then another one. And another. And before either one can stop themselves, Elliott’s hands drop down to her waist crushing her to him and she wraps her arms around his neck when the kisses become more frequent and urgent.

A FEW FEET AWAY ON SAME BALCONY

It dawned on Maxwell in that moment that maybe this wasn’t his most clever idea. He glances over the ledge of the balcony before pulling himself back to the safety of the vine wall. It wasn’t too far of a drop if, he gulped at the thought, he happened to misstep and fall to his impending doom.

Hopefully it might be a broken leg instead of death? Concussion? And then, he thought with glee, Amanda would volunteer to nurse him back to health.

Maybe she’d fall in love with him in the process. It always happened in the movies. He would be the grouchy, injured climber and she would be the clumsy yet kind caretaker. Maxwell moved to finish the climb up to her balcony with renewed hope, not too concerned with falling as he was before.

BACK ON THE BALCONY

“I love you,” Elliott whispered into her lips. He pulls out his phone from inside his jacket. “If we hurry we can be married by morning,” he says as he sends off a few texts.

“..Married?”

Elliott looked up from his phone as if she had two heads.

“Yes. Marriage,” he said carefully as if he were explaining the concept for the umpteenth time. “We’ve checked off the k-i-s-s-i-n-g part, I’ve lost count actually on how many times to be honest. Not that I’m complaining of course,” he winked at her.

She blushed at his words.

“And I think I made myself quite clear when I practically shouted from the rooftops of New York City and Cordonia and everywhere else in between how much I love you, so the love part has been checked off for quite some time.”

The familiar nursery rhyme, the one Elliott had taught her, the one he would sing to her, began to play in her mind.

She could hear his voice, soft and smooth, floating through her...

...Elliott and Amanda kissing in the tree...first comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby...

She snapped her attention to him, his gaze solely fixated on her. As if she mattered more than anything, or anyone else, in the world.

“And now,” Elliott put his phone away, “you went ahead and skipped to the ending.” She felt her knees go weak at the tenderness of his voice.

She cleared her throat wanting to have some sense in this moment, realizing what he was insinuating. “Me?! May I remind you, it takes two people for this,” she gestured to her stomach, “to happen.”

“Tomato. Tohmahtoe.”

She shoved his shoulder earning a chuckle from him and despite her best effort, Amanda laughed.  

“So you’re not leaving?”

Elliott stilled.

“If this is your idea of sexy talk…,” he asked dubiously.

Amanda rolled her eyes. “You weren’t saying anything, Elliott. What was I supposed to know?”

Elliott considered her words for a brief moment. The same deafening silence, and all its negativity, came back to her and she impatiently turned away from him, making her way back to her room.

Just as she had been grateful for their height difference a few minutes ago, she now despised it. His long gait was quick to cut her off before she could create some distance between them.

“You’re supposed to know,” Elliott took her hands in his, “up to that point, meeting you was one of the happiest moments of my life.”

“What a sad life you must have lived,” she arched a brow as his lips grazed her knuckle.

“The saddest,” he slowly shook his head as his mind raced through memories of his life before this woman changed everything for him.

“You’re also supposed to know that I was, am, still and will be forever in love with you. The most important part of all this is that you feel the same way...that was the happiest moment in my sad little life.”

“Did I say that?,” she fought the smile coming to her and failed horribly.

He pressed another kiss on her knuckle. “I believe the words you used were “utterly and hopelessly in love”.”

“I remember it differently,” her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“Details,” he shrugged. “Besides, this is my memory, not yours. You can go later. Now, where were we?”

“The happiest moments of your sad life.”

“Of course. Next, you then agreed to be my wife and I thought no. That...that was the happiest moment of my life.”

He presses a kiss to her ring finger just above his ring. A sight that still brought him excitement and serenity all at once.

“How could I say no? You practically begged me,” she teased.

“Excuse me. I don’t beg, Amanda. I just happen to know my audience really well,” he winked. “Every single curve,” he added for good measure just to see her blush again, which she willingly obliged.

She looks away from him, not sure what else there was to say. The man was still very much in love with her. It felt surreal to be this happy she thought.

Elliott’s finger lifts under her chin, turning her to look up at him.

“Until a few minutes ago, I thought I had enough happy moments in my collection. More than I could hope for. More than a man like me deserved. But then…”.

Elliott’s eyes look over her, as if he was committing her face to memory for the first time. That same flutter in her stomach had started up again and the air, despite the crisp breeze of the night, had suddenly gone warm.

“I love you, Amanda,” he finally spoke, with an intensity she had never heard in his voice before. “I treasure the happy moments I have because of you. The past ones and now,” he looked down to her still flat stomach, “the future ones too.”

“But please,” he hesitated a moment before placing a kiss on the inside of her palm. “Don’t make me wait another second without you as my wife.” And then in a low almost begging voice, “Please?”.

“You want to be married in the morning?!,” she tried to keep the panic out of her voice. “What about the plans we’ve already set for the wedding?”

He shrugged. “I don’t mind marrying you twice unless you mind fainting twice when you see me in my tux.”

“You’re crazy.”

“Just in love,” he corrected.

“Your father doesn’t know the difference,” she looked down speaking to her stomach. It felt strange and maybe even silly, speaking to a human being that wasn’t born yet somehow, standing there with her future husband and father of her child, it felt right.

“So, are my ladies in accord with the plans?”

She narrowed her eyes. “Ladies?”

“It’s a girl,” he said with such adoration Amanda felt her heart burst at the love in his eyes.

“My girls,” Elliott moved to sweep her off her feet as he carried her bridal style, “will be well taken care of. I will be there every step of the way, Amanda. The lamaze classes, the late night feedings, maybe a few diaper changes…”.

“Maybe a few?,” she wrapped her hands around his neck, resting her head against his chest, as he made his way out of her bedroom down to the car waiting for them out front.

“Sshh. You’re spoiling my plans. We’ll have to get the nursery going, I got some ideas for that by the way. I know how to pinterest, too. What else? Oh, yes. The baby shower. If you don’t mind I’d like to have two. One here and the other in--are you listening to me?”

She wiped the tears running down her cheeks, wondering what she did to deserve a man as caring, thoughtful, and sweet as the one beside her.

“Yes, I’m listening. Just ready to be Mrs. Elliott McKingley already.”

His hand came up to cradle her cheek, a look of total adoration in his eyes.

“Are you sure? It doesn’t come with any noble titles or fortunes. Might have to settle for me as your personal driver. Every now and then you’ll have to attend boring company parties. Although, if you’re good, I might be able to get you out of them,” the playing smirk on his lips again.

“Are you sure?”, she countered. “You’ll have to deal with ball gowns and frustrating noblemen. And a pregnant and moody woman for the next nine months. Probably even after nine months. Even if you’re good, you can’t get out of it.”

Elliott let out a laugh at her words, shaking his head.

“I’m sure. Remember? I’m crazy. You said so yourself.”

“In love,” she corrected him before pulling him to her in a fervent kiss.

BACK ON THE BALCONY/INSIDE DUCHESS OF ST. ORELLA’S BEDROOM

Maxwell took a few tentative steps, eyeing his surroundings, as he quickly made his way to Amanda’s bed.

It was empty, her bedroom, that much he could tell.

He looked around once more before settling down on her bed, putting his feet up and leaned back onto the numerous pillows.

He’s waited this long to tell her. What was a few more minutes?

[jenovahh]

KYKM - 12 Months, 20 Days

The buzz about the town is audible, even past the double doors of the workshop as Zenos glares at the two men stand across from him.

“And pray tell, what do you want from us, my lord?” one asks, a slight tremble to their voice.

“My lord?” The other mocks, with a chuckle.

“Not all of us are so used to being rebellious children and defecting from their homeland Garlond. This was a superior to me but a year ago.”

He can’t kill them, he reminds himself once more. As much as he’d like to threaten them, he can’t. That would only make matters worse.

Nero tol Scaeva and Cid nan Garlond stand a casual, but safe distance across from him in their large workshop, one eyeing the door every so often while the other stares him down.

“I came here expecting information, Scaeva.” Though Garlond did not seem to be easily intimidated, as Nero had said he was still a superior in his eyes.

“Pertaining to...?” Cid prompts, clearly seeing his game at pressuring Nero and stopping it.

“What else? The Warrior of Light.” it takes all of his control to keep his voice calm and even, not letting any of his frustration or impatience slip through. 

“Is it matter of that you cannot find them?” Nero asks, running a hand through his hair nervously. “The Garlean hunter, unable to find his quarry” he murmurs to himself with a chuckle, making Zenos growl audibly.

“They are obviously hiding some place I cannot find them. And I will not lower myself to speak with savages to ask for their whereabouts.” he continues haughtily, not missing a beat. Cid lets out a loud laugh at that, clutching his sides.

“You mean the remaining Scions won’t tell you where they are. I’m sure you must’ve scared poor Tataru witless.” Cid chuckles, clearly amused. He misses the look of disbelief Nero throws him, at having the audacity to openly ridicule the prince of their former nation.

And sadly, it was true. He had spent days searching for you, unable to find hide or hair of where you had gone. He had searched over every town, every region, every nation and it was as if you had turned into mist. As if you had left the realm altogether.

“How are you to know I did not slaughter her where she stood?” he growls, hand already itching to draw his blade.

“Because I am still alive. And naturally we would have any reports about any happenings with the Scions.” He shrugs, his own glare sliding back into place. “It’ll take more than a mean look to scare me prince. I’ve been by the Warrior’s side fighting gods and Garlean forces alike. Which is why I must now ask; why should I tell you where the Warrior of Light is?” Cid inquires, his stare hard and cold.

Zenos only regards Cid coolly, seeing just how it was so easy for him to abandon his homeland and all he had known. With an iron will like that, it would be easy to turn from all you had ever known. He finds himself building a begrudging respect for him, if only to calm his blood to keep the thoughts of slaughtering him at bay. “They owe me a duel.” he states simply.

“I’m sure there are many who have challenged the Warrior to a duel.” Cid responds in turn, making Zenos clench his teeth at this how stubborn he was being. Perhaps it was a Garlean trait, rather than familial.

“I’m not the only one who cares for the Warrior of Light. Just the one with the least responsibility.”

The dragoon’s words floated through his head, and now it made more sense as to why he could not scare the answer out of them.

Even in the face of what could be certain death, they cared and it was probably more than obvious that something occurred between you two when you ran to wherever you were without him.

“Seven moons ago the Warrior had their Magitek armor repaired.” He begins, watching recognition dawn on Nero’s face. “They had described that it had a problem; a lurch. They had brought it here to have it repaired.”

Recognition and shock now shows on Cid’s face, his jaw agape as he continues. “Scaeva gave the Warrior a list of items that they would need to repair the armor. I chose to remain.”

The two are speechless, processing this new revelation. A shite-eating grin slowly spreads on Nero’s face, while Cid’s mouth still hangs open in disbelief.

“By the emperor...I knew it!” Nero nearly shouts. “That cadence was unmistakable! One unique only to Lord Zenos!” he pauses for a moment as another thought hits him, looking over to Cid. “Then that means...”

“Twelve above...” Cid whispers, his voice torn between anger and awe and...amusement. “You’re in love with the Warrior of Light.”

The accusation hits him like a physical blow, too stunned to immediately retaliate. Baring his teeth, he growls low, nearly ready to throw his consideration for your friends to the wind. “Do not try my patience.” he seethes, reaching for his blade.

Cid starts forward, being held back Nero. “And do not play us for fools, prince. It all makes sense. Why you’ve spared anyone close to the Warrior. Why you had followed them everywhere, why they looked at you with stars in their eyes,”

“Perhaps you should speak in a way our, ahem, friend might understand, Garlond.” Nero murmurs, having not stopped his grinning for a second. “My Lord, if you would allow me, I can explain how Garlond would come to such a...conclusion.” He’s obviously entirely amused by the prospect of the situation, but he’s at least showing him some semblance of respect.

Taking his silence as the go ahead, Nero continues, “You see my Lord, though it might not seem so, we could recognize the signs of something more than just being traveling companions when you two had arrived. It was in the way you two moved around each other. The way how you spoke to the Warrior, the way you looked at them. We meant it when we said the Warrior’s wont was to travel alone, and to hear they had a longtime travelling companion made you special.”

“Speak plainly, Scaeva.” Zenos growls, heart thudding in his chest.

“What I mean my Lord, is that the actions you exhibited around the Warrior of Light are ones of affection. Love.” Nero says hurriedly, quickly averting his eyes.

“Impossible.” Zenos spits, teeth bared. 

“Or you do not know what it is to be loved.” Cid finally interjects, his eyes a tad gentler now. “Maybe even, you do not know what you are like in love, to see the signs. How would you know something you’ve yet to experience? What other reason would the Prince of Garleans leave Garlemald, descend upon Eorzea without a care, all to ask where the Warrior of Light is?”

That thought alone silences him, alongside with being unable to feel like he can refute the two men’s words. He could deny it with words, but each time he thought about it his tongue felt like ash, his heart twisted in pain. His memories fluttered through his mind, assaulting him in striking clarity. 

Could Garlond be right? He had never wiped anyone else’s tears. Never before had he allowed someone to be held against his person only to enjoy their nearness. Never had he reveled in the joy of training with anyone else. The feeling he had felt blossoming in his chest...could it be love?

Pursing his lips, he looks away from his former countrymen, unsure what to say. He was far too prideful to acknowledge that they were right, but couldn’t deny the truth without it paining him to do so.

“The Warrior of Light is in a place you cannot reach.” Cid speaks up, pulling him from his daze. Nero looks to Cid in confusion, but otherwise says nothing. “The Scions have fallen to a mysterious deathless sleep, and the Warrior of Light has left the realm altogether to find them.”

Pausing to scratch his head, Cid releases a reluctant sigh. “I only tell you this as a favor to the Warrior of Light.” At his continued silence, he sighs once more. “I’m not the best one to assume the Warrior’s feelings, but it’s safe to say that they were seriously hurt by you hiding your identity, now that I have the truth. You owe it to them to make it up to them.”

“As I said earlier, this is your mistake to fix. I’m sure you know that. You know as well as I do that they’re waiting on you. Don’t let them down.”

“It would seem I have to find a way to journey to this realm then.” Zenos rumbles, already pouring over theories and ideas. 

“Start at the Crystal Tower. That is the last of my help I will give you.” Cid finishes, staring the prince down.

“Very well.” Moving to leave, he pauses at the door, knowing that a crowd is waiting to see if the two men inside still remain alive. He cannot blame their assumptions, his own reputation proceeding him after all. However, he has much more important matters to take care of than slaughtering two defectors. “I will say you are still mistaken Garlond.” he calls, pulling the door open to a throng of people standing outside.

“I do not love the Warrior. They owe me a duel.”

[imagine-nation20]

Brave (Soulmate AU)

Fred Weasley X Reader

Requested: Not requested

Summary: It’s the battle of Hogwarts, and in a fit of fear, try to push your best-friend and longtime crush away. After a world-ending realization, you realize just how quickly someone can leave your life.

Soulmate AU: The last words you say to your soulmate are tattooed on your wrist.

A/N: I AM SO SORRY ABOUT THIS. IT’S STILL TOO SOON BUT I HAD TO DO IT FOR THE ANGST. Also, sorry if this angst is bad angst? I don’t really write angst that often. Although I really should.

Songs I Listened To While Writing This: ‘Open Arms’ Exo Cover, ‘See You Again’ Jungkook Cover, ‘All Of Me’ Chanyeol Cover, ‘We Don’t Talk Anymore’ Jungkook and Jimin Cover, and ‘Someone Like You’ V Cover

~~~

Smoke, that’s all you could see at the moment. Smoke from the battle raging all around the castle. Rubble cluttered the ground, broken pieces from the blown up walls. A few other students and teachers rushed past as you sat against the wall. Your wand lay forgotten to your right, unneeded to you at the moment. Your head hung, all your energy and will to fight drained from your body. You had no will to go on. Not when you knew you may never see your soulmate after today

The words scrawled on your wrist in messy handwriting made tears well in your eyes. You somehow knew this was the end. Maybe you would die here, maybe this was your end. Who knows how you would go out. A Deatheater’s curse, some fallen rubble, or maybe it would be here. Maybe you would die here, sitting against this wall, doing nothing, but mope.

An explosion erupted a few yards away, and your ears rang from the blast. The smoke wafted towards you, making you hack and cough again. The dull sound of footsteps registered in your ears, but not your mind. Not until you saw a vibrant head of red hair, not until you saw your best friend's face.

To be honest, you didn’t want to speak with him right now, not wanting a single word to leave your mouth. You wished upon every star in the sky, every god and bearded wizard that he wasn’t your soulmate. It was the opposite of what you remembered doing all those years of attending hogwarts. Everyday you wished it was him, wished that his bright smile was just for you. Now though, now you wished he would just go away, that he wouldn’t speak or acknowledge you.

“C’mon, get up. You can’t stay here, you need to move.” His words were fuzzy and followed by more ringing.

“No, Fred, you can’t be here. You can’t speak to me. Not if it could be you.” Your voice was hoarse, the smoke from the battle drying out your throat. Fred looked at you, his hand holding your head straight to look at him. His palms were warm on your cheeks, like they normally were when he grabbed your hand, running down the halls of this very castle to keep from getting caught by Filch or anyone else.

“What do you mean? C’mon, (Y/N), please. You need to get up. If you don’t, then who will help me and George run the shop? We both know we couldn’t do it on our own, we would be lost without you. I would be lost without you.” His words shook you to your core. Your eyes widened, looking up at him with tears threatening to spill, you tried to speak, to say something, but your throat closed up. All the words you held in for seven years, all the words you wished you could have said, all of them refused to come out.

With a shake of his head and, to your dismay, not another word, Fred grabbed your wand and lifted you from the ground, a determined look on his face. You knew he wouldn’t be saying anything to you, so you took the time to study his face through your tears. His once lively brown eyes that now seemed to carry the weight of the world behind them, the laugh lines around his mouth from the years of jokes and pranks he pulled with you and George, the soft glow his ginger hair seemed to give off, even in the dim light left in the castle. The tears finally spilled, dripping down your cheeks as you looked to the ink on your wrist.

‘I would be lost without you.’ A sob wracked your body, but Fred merely glanced at you, not stopping until you seemed to reach an untouched part of the castle. A part you recognized. It was where you had met him, and you thanked god that it hadn’t been damaged. Your first year, on your way to your first potions class, you had been late, and in a mad dash to not get points taken by Snape, you had barreled right into Fred. Said redhead set you down, checking you over. You didn’t mind his fussing, but rather, just continued to memorize his face.

His eyes found your’s again, and out of instinct and pure fear of never speaking to him again, you surged forward and kissed him. Your hands gripped his sweater like it was the end of the world, the tears flowing heavier down your face now. Fred snaked his arms around your waist, much softer than the way you clutched to him, and kissed back. A first and last for you, you knew, kissing him was. You wished you had the time to do this forever. You never wanted to let him go, but as he pulled away and you followed, you both knew what was coming.

“Fred Weasley, you’re an absolute git, you know that?” Fred’s eyes were filled with tears now too as he nodded. You both hugged once more, realizing that this was the end. You wanted him to see though, wanted him to know. You pulled away and tugged up your right sleeve, revealing the messy writing, which you now realized was the same writing as his.

Fred copied your movements, rolling up his own sleeve to reveal, in your writing, the words you had just said. You laughed, looking up and into his eyes again, pulling your wand out from his hands and waving it.

“Protego Maxima.” You whisper to yourself, putting every feeling of love and pain into it, hoping that fate will change. That maybe, just maybe this isn’t the end. You know it’s pointless, know that in the end, it won’t help, that you can’t change what is written in stone. You laugh at the irony of the phrase, and lean up to kiss Fred’s cheek one last time before you dart away down the hall.

More tears gather as you leave him behind, the pain stabbing into your chest more than you could have imagined possible. It felt as if your soul was being ripped from your body, and in a way, it was. Fred was a huge piece of your soul, your life, and your happiness, and that was the last time you would see him. The last time you would hear him speak.

You thought about the other Weasleys, you thought about George. What would he say, if he knew one of you would die today? Would he wish it was you? Would he wish that his twin, his brother, his other half, be the one to make it out? It was what you hoped, so you doubted it he would think anything else. You guess you two are alike in your dependence of Fred’s life. You both couldn’t bare to lose him.

You rounded the corner, stopping dead in your tracks. It was her, you would know her anywhere.

“Bellatrix.” Her laugh echoes in the empty hallway as she stares you down. Her wand is already drawn, just like yours, but lays at her side while you are already aiming for her.

“Who do we have here?~ You know, your dear parents begged for their lives as I slaughtered them, I wonder if you will do the same. Why don’t we find out?” Your fist tightened around your wand as you began shouting spells at each other. Multiple unforgivable curses flew inches past you, and you barely had time to dodge or counter them. You were definitely on the defensive, as you were forced to backup further and further. Bellatrix continued to smile as you were pinned against a wall. Your wand flew from your hand, making Bellatrix howl with psychotic joy.

Her arm was poised above her head, wand aimed inches from your chest. You closed your eyes, thoughts going to Fred. His smile, his laugh, the way he would warn you about any pranks he and George were going to pull so that you weren’t harmed.

“Crucio.” Pain erupted from your chest spreading to every inch of your body. You could here screams, which you assumed were your own, but were so detached from anything other than the thought of a fate that must be worse than death that you couldn’t tell. You focused, thinking of anything other than the pain. You refused to beg someone as vile as her for your life. You didn’t care how much pain you were in, you wouldn’t give in. Memories flashed through your mind, and you focused in on one, which happened to be one of your favorites.

The room of requirement was filled with students, kids who wanted more than what Umbridge was giving them. They stood in two lines, each facing towards Harry. Fred stood on your left, and George on his, as the two twins whispered. What it was they were talking about, you didn’t know, and didn’t want to know. Harry continued to explain how a patronus worked, deciding to spread the students of Dumbledore's Army around the room to practice.

Fred wrapped his arm around your shoulders, pulling you with him and George to a different part of the room. All three of you stood with your backs to each other, wands at the ready.

“Now think of your happiest memory, conjure it up in your mind. Harness it and use that happiness.” Harry practically preached to everyone, which made you snicker, but you sobered up as you tried to think of your happiest memory. Nothing really stood out, nothing exceptionally exciting or thrilling. You decided that when you got your hogwarts letter, maybe that was your happiest, so you tried it. You focused on that moment, tried to conjure it up and propel it from your wand.

Nothing happened, except for a few white wisps appearing, but dissipating almost immediately. You heard George try to your left, and a flash of white sprung from his wand, forming into a coyote. It pranced around a big, looking a little too proud and mischievous for your taste.

“He said happy, (Y/N), not half-arsed.” You elbowed the twin, turning to look as Fred struggled just like you. Sais twin turned to his other half, brows furrowed.

“What memory did you think of George?”

“The time we-”

“Managed to cover the entire Slytherin common room in pink fluff? Yeah, that isn’t working.” Fred said, to which you rolled your eyes.

“That’s because it’s his happiest memory, not your happiest you idiot.” Fred looked to you, seemingly lost in thought.

“Well what are you thinking of?” He asked, his hand resting atop your head. You swatted it away, pushing him back from your face.

“Clearly nothing that’s working.” George chimed in, going back to practicing. Harry walked over, congratulating George before looking to you and Fred.

“Having a bit of trouble?” You nodded, but Fred just smirked, shaking his head.

“None at all.” You rolled your eyes at his show of pride, but turned back to Harry and ignored him.

“I can’t seem to find a happy enough memory.” He nodded, smiling at you kindly, like he understood.

“When I was learning, I couldn’t either, but professor Lupin told me some good advice and I conjured up something else, something happy enough for me. It wasn’t a memory, or at least, I didn’t think it was, but rather a dream. A hope, or a glimpse of happiness that I could hold onto.” You nodded along, thinking over what he said. Without another word though, he walked off, and you turned to Fred. The twin in question just stared at you a huge smirk on his face, without another word, he turned away and waved his wand.

“Expecto Patronum,” Out from his wand came what appeared to be a hyena, and you laughed at the irony. Fred’s face lit up in joy, and he broke his concentration turning to you. “Well go on, you try.”

You turned from the redhead, focusing on searching you mind for a dream. Something you wished to come true, something you wanted, something that would make you happier than you’ve ever been. Without a doubt in your mind, you thought of Fred, and tried to spell once more. Light erupted from your wand, filling the whole room as your patronus sprung from your wand overtaking a large portion of the room.

The pain died down as you crumpled from Bellatrix’s hold and to the floor. She no longer laughed, but was rather quiet to your surprise. You couldn’t look up, couldn’t move, could barely even hear. Something shook you, stirred you from your place on the ground as you were lifted into the arms of someone warm.

“Fred?” You managed to mumble, seeing the bright red hair in your vision. The person said nothing, simply continued on. You felt warm drips on your face as your vision cleared a bit to see who was carrying you. “Percy?”

The redhead in question looked down, and for the first time in your years of knowing him, you saw tears in his eyes. Tears that had long since spilled down his cheeks and dried, but now were building up once again. You could tell, just by his face, by the way his eyes stared down at you as you fought to stay awake, fought to keep awake. Fred was gone. Fred would not be running up behind you to lift you into the air anymore. He wouldn’t be there to ask you to go with him and George to hogsmeade or Diagon Alley.

Fred Weasley was dead, and you felt as if you were going through the Cruciatus Curse all over again.

[minijenn]

Universe Falls Chapter 58

Wooooo here we go with The Last Mabelcorn, finally! You can’t imagine how long I’ve wanted to write this chapter and here it finally is for you to read and enjoy! I’m quite proud of it and I honestly don’t have a ton else to say outside of that so I suppose there’s nothing keeping us from diving right in! Let’s get started!

Previous: http://minijenn.tumblr.com/post/177662322439/universe-falls-chapter-57-part-2

Chapter 58: The Last Mabelcorn

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With Dipper and Mabel spending the night up at the temple with Steven and the Gems in light of their ongoing quest to release Malachite, the Mystery Shack was even quieter than it usually was in the deep, dark, dead of night. Though Stan had turned in for the night at a reasonable hour, it had taken Ford much longer to pull himself away from his ongoing research in the basement. By the time the author finally did trudge up to his old room, it was quite late and as a result, he was quite tired. Though he was now thirty years removed from his extensive bout of paranoid insomnia, there were times every now and again when Ford would stubbornly resist the lull of a full night’s sleep out of fear of what might lie in wait in the often unpredictable world of nightmares. This particular, night, however, wasn’t anywhere close to one of those cases, for almost as soon as the author’s head hit the pillow, he was out, fast asleep and promptly thrust into the dreaming state he so often tried to avoid.

Or rather, into what was very soon about to become yet another nightmare, one that seemed to refuse to end even 30 years after it had first begun.

When Ford opened his eyes, he was quite caught off guard to find himself not back in the peaceful darkness of the room he had fallen asleep in, but rather he was standing amidst a vast, arid field of tall, ripe stalks of wheat. This curious expanse seemed to stretch on for miles, only broken by three landmarks afar off in the distance: an aged and broken swing set, a dilapidated, half-rebuilt boat, and the ruined remains of a certain portal looming large and inactive on the horizon. The author took pause as he glanced around his odd, new surroundings, though he didn’t have much of a chance to make sense of them. Completely out of nowhere, the wheat surrounding Ford suddenly began to flatten itself out into a shape that the author knew all too well. A shape that was, of course, accompanied by the maniacal cackling of a demon, a demon Ford had hoped in vain that he’d never encounter again.

“I know that laugh…” the author growled, his hands already curling into tight, defensive fists, just in case. “Show yourself!”

Right on cue, the demon did just that, his triangular form materializing right from the imprint of himself he had made in the wheat as he sharply rose to float right behind Ford, his sinister laughter continuing all the while. “Well, well, well, well, well, well, well!” he quipped brightly, splitting up into several smaller versions of himself as they all cheerfully circled the quite unamused author. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eye! Stanford Filbrick Pines! My old pal! It’s good to finally see ya in the flesh instead of on all those wanted posters I had put out for you during your little stint in the multiverse. Those sure were some fun times, huh, Sixer?”

Ford wisely chose to ignore his longtime foe’s callous taunting, more than used to them by now as he sent the demon a cold, distrustful glare. “Bill Cipher…” he stiffly acknowledged, countless years of ire and hatred dripping into his tone. “What do you want from me? I already told you more than once that I want nothing more to do with you!”

“Oh, quit playing dumb, IQ!” one of the several Bills mocked knowingly. “You knew I’d be back! And boy, have I been busy… Heck, right before I dropped by here, I nearly snagged the deal of a lifetime with some kid you may or may know. But oh well, its not like he can really hold onto that space rock of his for too much longer since its already mine anyway!”

“Kid?” Ford questioned in alarmed confusion, wondering what poor child could have possibly been subjected to Bill’s cruel tricks. “Who did you-”

“Eh, forget it, Sixer, all that business is soooo two chapters ago,” Bill interjected with a flippant wave of his hand as his many doubles all merged back into one. “What I actually stopped by for was to tall you that you must not be that much of a ‘genius’ after all if you think shutting down that portal could really stop what I have planned! Like I said, I’ve been making deals, chatting with old friends, preparing for the big day! You can’t keep that rift safe forever…” With a single snap of his fingers, the interdimensional rift appeared floating above the demon’s palm, its amorphous, glimmering substance still safely contained within its protective globe, though not for long. “You don’t have good ol’ Quartzy around anymore to bail you out this time, Sixer! You’ll slip up sooner or later, and when you do…” As Bill trailed off, he suddenly slammed the rift hard onto the ground, its very breaking violently tearing open a nightmarish hole through the otherwise smoggy skies and igniting the wheat field in a burst of bright crimson fire all around the author. Yet even despite this horrific display, Ford refused to let Bill get the better of him this time; after all, he had already accomplished that more than enough countless times in the past.

“Get out of here!” the author shouted fiercely, wishing he could put an end to the demon’s twisted ambitions right then and there. “You have no dominion in our world!”

“Maybe not right now,” Bill began, his eye turning black as he began to ascend into the chasm of untold horrors and nightmares he wanted to unleash upon the world. “But things change, Stanford Pines! Things CHANGE!”

On this final, ominous proclamation, the demon departed, laughing wickedly all the while as he thoughtlessly left Ford to burn in the field, awash with fear over the dreadful threats he had just heard. Fortunately though, the author wasn’t left to such a terrible fate as he was instead met with quick flashes of three very distinct images: his own six-fingered hand, a set of runes containing various unknown symbols, all of them surrounding a visage of Bill himself, and finally, four bright, vibrant diamonds, one white, one blue, one yellow, and one pink, arranged together and positioned against the backdrop of a distant, foreign planet that seemed to be crumbling apart at the seams.

And on that, the author sharply awoke, his nightmare over. For now, at least.

Even so, Ford bolted upright on the couch that served as his bed, his entire body covered in a cold sweat as he tried to catch his breath amidst his current panic. The fact that Bill Cipher, of all beings, had suddenly shown up in his dreams was concerning enough, but even worse were the frightening implications he had left behind. Before, the author had only ever assumed that the demon would target the rift, but now, there was no doubt whatsoever. Bill wanted that rift and if he got his hands on it, then the entire world, no, the entire universe, would certainly face untold destruction and devastation. He’d be all-powerful, unstoppable, and completely and utterly merciless to anyone who ever dared to try and get in his way. Which was why Ford knew that he had to stop this disaster before it even had a chance to begin. He had to put an end to Bill’s plans before they could come anywhere close to reaching fruition, there simply was no other option. But unlike last time he had made such a bold, dangerous attempt, the author wasn’t about to undertake such a risky venture on his own this time. He had learned his lesson and seen his folly in trying to walk this path alone 30 years ago. And as far as he was concerned, that wasn’t a mistake he was about to make again.

“I have to warn them…” Ford muttered to himself as he finally began to calm down, even though Bill’s haunting warnings still rung in his mind as loudly as ever. “He’s coming…”

A cloud of solemn anxiousness hung over Steven, Dipper, and Mabel alike as they departed from the temple the following morning, their minds still equally focused on worrying thoughts of a certain demon and his malicious intentions, whatever those might be. The Gems had sent them off quite early on, encouraging them to relax for the day and try to find some way to take their thoughts off Bill, even if it was very likely they didn’t intend to do the same themselves.

Still, none of the kids argued with them as they set out for the shack, running into Connie halfway down the hill as she had been going up to meet them. Despite the Gems’ advising them to focus on other things, neither Steven, Dipper, nor Mabel were able to keep themselves from telling Connie all about the events of the previous night, including both Steven’s alarming encounter with Bill in his dreams, as well as their nightmarish confrontation the Gems had with the demon themselves over twenty years ago. Needless to say that after hearing such a disconcerting account, Connie herself was every bit as shaken as the other three kids were to know that Bill was still out there somewhere, still plotting to harm them all, if not worse. Which was why the conversation was still very much focused on the demon, even as the kids made it back down to the shack to try and ‘relax’, even if there was a slim chance such a thing would even end up happening.

“So… even the Gems don’t know how get rid of Bill once and for all?” Connie asked, her voice kept rather low as the four of them wandered down the hall.

“No…” Steven sighed, rubbing his arm apprehensively. “They said the most we can do for now is just make sure we don’t fall for any more of his tricks, but… I don’t know how long that’ll really work for…”

“Probably not too long, seeing as how he’ll lie to just about anyone to get what he wants,” Dipper remarked quite bitterly, clearly quite frustrated with the situation at large. “It’s just… you’d think there’d be some way to keep Bill from messing with us anymore, at least. I mean, how are we supposed to figure out a way to stop him if we can’t even keep him from showing up in our dreams any time he wants?!”

“W-well, even if the Gems don’t know what to do right now, m-maybe they’ll figure something out eventually,” Mabel assured with a weak smile, hoping to, if nothing else, reassure her clearly on-edge brother about the concerning situation. “For now though, we should probably just drop the whole Bill thing and relax like they told us to.” Her smile widened somewhat as she pulled open a nearby closet door. “Why don’t we see if Grunkle Stan has any decent board games lyin’ around here? Huh? Huh? Come on, you three, don’t hold out on me. Steven, I know you’re always up for a good round of Latzee.”

Steven, Dipper, and Connie all briefly exchanged tentative glances at this, all three of them still rather worried about the situation with Bill, but even so, they knew there wasn’t really much that could be done about it now. Wasting their thoughts and energy on it at the moment wouldn’t really produce anything but more dread and woe, things that the kids largely wanted to be free of after the harrowing night they just had. Which was why Steven was the first to perk up somewhat, stepping forward into the closet to take a look at what the stack of old games before them had to offer.

“Hm, let’s see here… ‘Battlechutes & Ladderships’, ‘Necronomiconopoly’, ‘Don’t Wake Stalin’…”

“Oh, what’s this one?” Connie grabbed an interesting-looking jungle themed box from the pile. “‘What Could Go Wrong? The Board Game. The last players who opened this box never made it out alive!’”

A beat of silence passed between the kids at this, but even so, they were all quick to reach largely the same conclusion.

“Well, I know what we’re doing today!”

“Yeah, this should take up the next half hour or so.”

“Sounds like fun!”

“Can’t be too bad, right?”

However, before the kids could even leave the closet to set the game up to play, their plans were instantly dashed as they heard Ford’s stark, urgent call coming from the kitchen. “Family meeting! Family meeting!”

Needless to say all four of the kids were somewhat surprised to hear Ford of all people, call for a so-called ‘family meeting’. But even so they were quite curious to hear what apparently serious demand was all about, which was why they put the game aside to hurry off to hear whatever it was the author had to say.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to any of the kids, Amethyst had hurried down from the temple to the shack herself, surprisingly not because of anything remotely pertaining to what happened last night, but rather to make good on her promise to help Stan with a certain, rather illegal smuggling deal. “Alright, Santiago,” the conman remarked gruffly to the Spanish man him and Amethyst were passing off a sizable truckload of young pugs off to. “You have 24 hours to get these pugs over the U.S border.”

“And you better not… you know, no lo jodas this time either!” Amethyst snapped with a knowing scowl. “O de lo contrario lo vas a conseguir!”

“Yeah, what she said,” Stan remarked, though he did raise his eyebrow somewhat over the purple Gem’s rather crude use of language. However, before the exchange could properly end, Ford’s call for a family meeting rung out from inside the shack, startling the trio and cutting their illegal operation short as Stan swiftly shoved the last barrel of pugs into the back of Santiago’s truck before shoving him off.

“No te preocupas!” Stan shouted urgently as Amethyst kept a close lookout so they wouldn’t get caught as the truck sped off. “Vamos! Vamos!”

With Stan and Amethyst as busy avoiding the law as they were, it wasn’t surprising that they decided to avoid Ford’s meeting, though the kids were right on time to it, venturing into the kitchen just as the author was finishing setting up his copious array of scrolls, notes, and books. “Ah, children,” he greeted tersely, only briefly glancing over his shoulder as they arrived. “Come in, come in! Do any of you know if any of the Gems can make it down here within the next… minute or so? This is a very important discussion that I doubt they’ll want to miss out on.”

“Uh, w-well, actually… the Gems are kind of… busy today,” Steven replied, knowing this was both a truth and a lie in that, as far as they knew, they were still up at the temple, thinking about what to do to stop Bill. “We sort of had a… rough night last night…”

“Hm, you’re not the only ones…” Ford muttered to himself as he glanced away. “All the same, I suppose we can always pass this warning off to them sometime later.”

“Warning?” Connie spoke up with a worried frown. “What warning?”

“Does it have anything to do with these mysterious scrolls and potions?” Mabel asked curiously as she began rummaging through the author’s possessions. “Are you going to tell us we’re finally of age to go to wizard school? Is there an owl in this bag?!”

“No,” Ford interjected, quickly taking his bag away from her as his manner seemed to grow even more serious than it already was. “I can assure you that if there is an owl in this bag, then he’s long dead. Now, what I have called you children here for today is by far more pressing and urgent. Do any of you recognize this symbol?” At this, the author held up a weathered old scroll, one covered in ancient script and arcane text, though the triangular being emblazoned, large and dark and menacing on its center was one that all four of the kids knew the instant they saw it.

A round of frightened gasps escaped all four of the kids at the same exact time, each of them feeling as though they had been thrust right back into that horrific puppet show weeks ago. Connie quickly tore her gaze away from the scroll, as if simply looking at it would somehow summon the demon forth from it. Steven choked out another smaller gasp, one hand against his heart as it hammered away in his chest while his other was pressed close to his stomach, or rather his gem, protectively. Mabel latched a hand down onto her brother’s shoulder so fast that it normally would have startled him but instead Dipper only stared, his face pale and his eyes wide as he barely managed to even get the demon’s name out in so much as a weak, frightened whisper. “B-Bill…”

Ford flinched, quite taken aback by the kids’ initial reaction alone as he looked back to the scroll with growing alarm. “You… you know him?”

None of the kids offered an immediate answer save for Connie, who only gave one in the form of a small, anxious, silent nod. As for the other three, Steven tightened his grip around his gemstone, the vicious threats the demon had issues against him just a few hours prior ringing in his head as loudly as ever before. At the same time, Mabel’s focus remained on Dipper as she prepared to offer him whatever comfort and support he might need but in light of both his growing distress and his growing frustration he was hard pressed to accept any such sentiments now.

“I-it just won’t end, will it?” Dipper began, his tone quiet yet harsh as he shook his head incredulously. “First there was what happened last night with the Gems, and now this? Why won’t he just quit already?!”

“Dipper-” Mabel attempted to interject, though her brother was far too upset to back down now, especially as he got up to pace around frenetically.

“I was right last night after all,” Dipper continued, angry and anxiously as he largely talked to himself, even as the others all watched him with growing concern. “A-and I was right even before that! This isn’t over! Heck, maybe it never will be! He’ll just keep showing up and messing with us and lying to us and forcing us to play his games and there’s no way to stop him or get rid of him a-and it’ll just keep happening over and over again until he-”

“Dipper!” He finally cut himself off with a sharp gasp, stopping in his tracks under the weight of Ford’s firm, steadying hand on his shoulder. The author’s expression was initially fraught with palpable worry and dread, which quickly shifted into untold remorse before finally settling on what almost looked like grave, yet muted fury. “He… he possessed you, didn’t he?”

Dipper flinched at this, quickly averting his uncle’s gaze out of slight fear of how he might react to the truth of the matter. After all, the last thing he wanted was to admit such a momentous failure to the author he practically idolized and looked up to without question; the thought of disappointing him with his own shortcomings alone was enough to bring him more shame than he really knew how to deal with. But even despite his lack of a concrete answer, it was clear to see that Ford had inferred one anyway as he rose to stand, closing his eyes and letting out a long, almost tired sigh, one that gave really no indication of any sort of react at all.

“G-Great Uncle Ford,” Dipper began, his former frustration gone and replaced with obvious nervousness instead. “I… I just-”

“It wasn’t Dipper’s fault!” Steven suddenly interjected, tears already starting to well up in his eyes as everyone turned to look at him. “B-Bill tricked him! H-he lied to him and then he took his body a-and I was there for the whole thing and I wasn’t able to stop it a-and I couldn’t even tell anyone about it ‘cause he said he’d hurt Dipper’s body a-and I was so afraid and confused and we almost didn’t stop him in time but-”

“But we did,” Connie interjected as calmly as she could, taking Steven’s hand reassuringly as Mabel did the same for Dipper. “And that’s what’s important here.”

“So the four of you… ‘defeated’ him…” Ford mused, though his tone conveyed a hint of doubt in this fact. Still, he didn’t voice that doubt as he met all four of the kids’ fretful expressions evenly enough. “Even so, the fact that you kids have dealt with Bill before is gravely serious.”

“So… you know Bill too, Grunkle Ford?” Mabel asked, anxiously curious.

“Too?” the author frowned, confused.

“Uh, well, l-last night the Gems told us about how Bill tricked them before too…” Steven admitted somewhat hesitantly. “Mom even had to fight them to get him out of him. I-it was-”

“Oh yes, I already know about all that,” Ford interupted. “Pearl… told me all about that rather… unfortunate encounter just a few days ago. Honestly, I can’t say I’m even really surprised; it’d only make sense that someone as mad and as power-hungry as Bill would try to target someone as dedicated to protecting the Earth as Rose and the Crystal Gems.”

The kids looked to each other again at this, their expressions all somewhat uncertain but craving to know more about whatever knowledge the author might have concerning the dream demon. “Um, so how exactly do you know Bill, Great Uncle Ford?” Dipper asked rather hesitantly in light of his own lingering regret.

“I’ve encountered many dark beings in my time, Dipper,” Ford replied curtly. “But perhaps none as dark as Bill Cipher. All the same, the specifics aren’t important right now. What matters is that his powers are growing stronger, and if he pulls off his plans, then none of us, not this family, not the Gems, not even Gravity Falls itself will be safe!”

Upon hearing this, none of the kids were able to hold back a unified frightened gasp. In light of their past encounters with the dream demon as well as everything the Gems had recently revealed, it was obvious that Bill was certainly a threat to them all. But to hear this confirmation come from someone as wizened and well-traveled as the author of the journals himself only served to hit that alarming thought home even more. After all, if Bill really was such a severe and present danger to not just them but the town, possibly even the world as a whole, then what hope did any of them possibly have in trying to stop him?

“Fortunately,” Ford continued, as if he had somehow heard the kids’ shared worries and decided to address them. “There should be a way to shield us from his mental tricks. A way to ‘Bill-proof’ the shack and even the Gems’ temple, as it were.”

“R-Really?” Steven asked with a small but growing smile, one that was filled with relief that the other three kids equally shared. “That’s great! How does it work?”

“It’s quite simple, really,” the author began, laying a map of the shack out on the table. “All I have to do is place moonstones here, here, and here, sprinkle some mercury, and… let’s see, I always forget that last ingredient!” Ford frowned as he flipped open journal 1, briefly glancing through his notes before finding what he was looking for. “Ugh, that’s right… unicorn hair…”

“That’s not… rare, is it?” Dipper asked, picking up on the author’s disgruntled tone.

“Its hopeless,” Ford shook his head dismissively as he looked back to the journal. “Unicorns reside deep within an enchanted glade, and their hairs can only be obtained by a pure, good-hearted person who goes on a magical quest to find them. And of course, unicorns themselves are-”

The author’s explanation was abruptly cut off from a loud, shrill, undeniably excited squeal from Mabel, one that tore starkly through the ongoing solemn manner of this meeting. “Grunkle Ford! Can I please go on this quest?!” she asked with a large, eager grin as she hopped out of her seat. “I am literally obsessed with unicorns! My first word was unicorn, I once made my own unicorn by taping a traffic cone to a horse’s head and got banned from the petting zoo for it, are you even looking at the sweater I’m wearing right now?!” She quickly pointed to said sweater, which, fittingly enough, had a colorful design of a unicorn stitched onto it. “Not to mention that I’m probably the most pure of heart person in this room. Well, aside from Steven, that is.” A round of murmured agreements arose from this, no one really dissenting to such a claim given Mabel’s very transparent sense of altruism and helpfulness. “So can I please go on a mission to get that hair?” she continued pleadingly. “Please, please, please?! I’ll give you my blood!”

Despite this concerning vow, Ford simply nodded, albeit a bit hesitantly given the nature of the quest his niece wanted to go on. “Very well,” he consented gruffly. “But it won’t be easy. Take this,” he handed off journal 1 to her, largely since it offered a map pointing to where unicorns were known to dwell. “And this,” he also gave her a fully-loaded crossbow, much to excitement, even as she struggled to properly lift it. “I haven’t been in this dimension in a while. It’s still ok to give children deadly weapons, right?”

“Pssh, come on, dawg,” Mabel remarked with a casual wave of her hand. Of course, she didn’t notice that her other hand had accidentally squeezed the crossbow’s trigger until an arrow fired off through it, crashing through the nearby window and startling a certain pair of partners in crime outside.

“Ah! It’s the cops!” Stan shouted frantically somewhere outside. “Gun it!”

“Soy inocente, ¡lo juro!” Amethyst cried as a truck carrying a heavy load of pugs sped off.” ¡Todo fue idea de Stan!”

“Amethyst! Cut it out with all the Spanish already!”

“Heh, sorry, dude, can’t help it. Its mucho divertido.”

“Um… on second thought, why don’t I go with you, Mabel?” Connie asked after a beat of somewhat awkward silence. “Not that I don’t think you can handle yourself, but maybe having my sword along with that crossbow will make this whole, uh, ‘enchanted quest’ thing go a little easier.”

“Oh my gosh, yes!” Mabel gasped, cheerfully pulling Connie up out of her chair as she spun her around excitedly. “This is gonna be great! Mabel and Connie: Unicorn Hunters Extraordinaire! Ooo, wait! I got another idea! We should turn this unicorn duo into a whole unicorn party!” Without another word, Mabel quickly pulled her phone up and began dialing several numbers at once as she ran out of the room. “Wendy, Candy, Grenda, clear the afternoon!”

“Oh boy…” Connie chuckled as she prepared to follow after Mabel. “This oughta be… interesting.”

“Hm… perhaps you girls should take one of the Gems along with you as well…” Ford mused. “As far as I know, they do have some experience with unicorns so their aid will likely be an asset, and not just in finding them either…”

“Get a Gem to come, got it!” Connie nodded, offering the remaining trio a thumbs up as she headed out herself. “Thanks, Mr. Ford!”

“Yes, yes, try not to come across any packs of marauding ware-fairies while you’re out,” Ford advised, waving both girls off as Steven and Dipper did the same.

“So… what are the odds that they actually get that hair?” Dipper asked Ford, trying to hide his rather palpable concern.

“Unlikely,” the author replied as soon as he was sure the girls were out of earshot. “I’ve dealt with unicorns before and if I had to describe them in one word it would be… frustrating.”

“Aw, but this is Mabel and Connie we’re taking about here,” Steven said with an encouraging smile. “If anyone can get that hair, its them!”

“Well, just in case they don’t,” Dipper countered diffidently. “Is there anything else we could maybe do to stop Bill in the meantime?”

Ford took pause at this question, his expression initially unreadable as he looked between both of the boys sitting in front of him before his focus finally settled on Steven. The young Gem shifted somewhat apprehensively under the author’s scrutinizing stare, one that seemed to almost be searching for something, though he had no idea as to what that something could possibly be. “Um… Mr. Ford? What’s-”

“Steven,” the author interupted, his tone and manner both very serious as he glanced around rather discreetly. “Rose Quar—I mean, your mother, used to be the one person, or Gem rather, that I always felt like I could confide in. I trusted her immensely, and… I’d like to think that I can trust her son as well. So… can I?”

The young Gem was admittedly somewhat taken aback by this, but as he glanced over and met Dipper’s rather expectant expression, he found he was hard pressed to say no. “Y-yeah—I mean, yes,” Steven said with much more resolve, hoping that he could somehow honor the genuine bond that used to exist between the author and his mother even in some small, simple way. “Yes, you can. But, uh, can I ask with what exactly you wanna trust me with?”

Ford cracked something of a small smirk at this, clearly glad to have the young Gem on board. “Dipper, why don’t I let you tell him?”

“Oh, uh, ok,” Dipper nodded, immediately understanding exactly what the author wanted him to reveal. Even still, he hesitated somewhat, remembering the promise he had made to Ford himself to keep silent about it only a few days prior, a promise he devoutly intended to keep even still. And yet, since Ford was the very one telling him to make an exception to that promise right then and there, he decided to relent and do just that, knowing that if there was really anyone who he’d personally trust with such a momentous secret, it would be Steven. “So, Great Uncle Ford took the portal apart, right? But it sorta left this… what was it again?”

“An interdimensional rift,” Ford filled in, his voice low as he took another cursory glance around the room for any sort of prying eyes.

“An interdimensional rift, right,” Dipper said with a bit more confidence, which was something Steven only met with confusion as he tried to follow along. “And that’s bad because it could…?”

“It could tear our reality itself apart,” Ford finished gravely. “Especially if someone like Bill were to get his hands on it. If its power were to be unleashed, then he’d be completely free to wreak untold havoc upon this dimension, destroying everything and everyone in his path.”

“W-whoa…” Steven whispered, his eyes wide as he tried to take such a dark implication in. “And I thought everything the Gems told us last night was bad. B-but this… rift thing sounds like it could be even worse than that was!”

“Indeed it could,” Ford nodded coldly. “And that’s why the three of us have to do everything in our power to protect it from Bill. Including maintaining its secrecy from everyone.”

“Even the Gems?” Steven asked apprehensively. “B-because I-”

“Even the Gems,” the author interupted staunchly, glancing away. “The more people who know about the rift, the more danger it could potentially be put in. I did have some reservations about telling even you, Steven, but… well, I figured I might as well fill you in since I very likely would have done the same for your mother if she were still… around.”

“Oh, uh… gee, thanks…” the young Gem said with a halfhearted smile, the comparison Ford was apparently drawing between him and his mother not lost on him. A comparison that, in light of recent revelations, Steven wasn’t sure he was too comfortable with anymore, even if he knew that it was rather fitting. After all, wasn’t keeping such a potentially earth shattering secret hidden from the Gems the very same sort of thing Rose herself did before him? Still, he knew he couldn’t exactly betray either Ford’s trust on the matter either, especially since it was of such grave significance. The author had said so himself: if Bill ever managed to get ahold of that rift, then reality itself could very well cease to be. The knowledge of that fact alone was a momentous, massive weight, one that the young Gem feared he wouldn’t be properly carry but at the very least, he didn’t have to do it alone. For just as he began to doubt his own resolve, he was broken out of his thoughts by the comforting hand that fell upon his shoulder. Steven was unable to hold back a small smile as he met the gentle, affirmative one Dipper was offering him, one that carried the promise that, despite how daunting protecting the rift and its secrets might be, it was a task that they’d carry out together. And that alone was exactly the kind of warm reassurance the young Gem needed to hope that they’d be able to carry that untold, almost crushing weight after all. “B-but… you don’t have to worry,” Steven said as he turned back to the author. “I won’t tell anyone. I promise.”

“Very good,” Ford said, genuinely grateful as he rose to stand. “Now, both of you, follow me. We’ve much to do.”

Neither boy questioned the author any further as they hurried after him to the gift shop, watching in curious anticipation as he opened the hidden elevator behind the vending machine up. However, instead of taking them down to the basement lab, the elevator stopped on the floor between it, at an ornate wooden door that only Ford seemed to hold the key to. And needless to say that that boys were quite amazed by what they saw.

Contained between the gift shop and the underground lab was an entire floor in and of itself, one that surprisingly spacious, even despite the walls lined with full bookshelves and old, interesting artifacts and machinery strewn just about everywhere. The rather long room stretched back into a corridor with covered walls and a massive machine consisting of several large screens and a dizzying array of wires and buttons. Of course, both Steven and Dipper were absolutely amazed to discover such an impressive hideout, one that neither of them ever even knew existed before though Ford was steady as ever as he led the way into it.

“Welcome to my private study,” he began, not making much time to give the boys even a simple tour of the room. “A place where I keep my most ancient and secret knowledge. Even Stanley, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl don’t know about this place, however, Rose did.” At this, the author briefly sent Steven a small, knowing grin over his shoulder, one that he only weakly returned as he continued following after Ford to the other end of the room. Dipper, however, detracted somewhat, curious to see exactly what knowledge his uncle might be keeping in this extensive collection, however, before he could really try to investigate, Ford urgently prompted him onward.

“Dipper, come along!” the author called as he began setting up the large machine, which was only labeled as ‘Project Mentum’. “If we can’t Bill-proof the shack, then we’re going to have to do the next best thing.” At this, Ford held up a rather old-looking metallic helmet, one that was connected to the machine by several wires and seemed to carry some sort of unknown purpose to it. “We’re going to have to Bill-proof our minds.”

Both Steven and Dipper let out a shared gasp at this, but even so, they were unable to hold back relieved smiles as they looked to each other. Because for perhaps the first time since last night, it seemed as though there was actually a way to fend Bill off after all, to keep him from tormenting them any further, from plaguing their thoughts and haunting their nightmares. And, after everything they’d been through because of the demon throughout the summer, that alone was enough to fill both boys with more hope than they had known in quite some time.

Even if such hope wasn’t destined to last.

With their unicorn-finding mission clear and their shared resolve burning, Mabel and Connie set out on their intrepid quest, gathering a motley crew consisting of Wendy, Candy, and Grenda to accompany them. And, as Ford had advised, the girls managed to recruit the first Gem they could find to act as something of a chaperone, said Gem just so happening to be Pearl, who had just ventured down to the shack to check on the kids as soon as Connie and Mabel stepped out of it. Without filling the white Gem in on much of their mission, she still decided to join the group, largely out of her lingering worry concerning the upsetting reveals made throughout the previous night. All the same, Pearl was somewhat surprised by just how overtly upbeat the majority of the group was as they ventured into the depths of the forest with only journal 1 and the knowledge contained therein to serve as their guide.

“It’s nice to finally be out on a mission, just us gals!” Mabel quipped as she led the way with a bit of an excited spring in her step.

“Well, a mission that isn’t super likely to put all of our lives in danger, at least,” Connie remarked rather knowingly.

“And exactly what the purpose of this mission again?” Pearl asked, making sure to keep an eye out for any supernatural monster that might possibly assail them. “You girls failed to really give me all of the details before we set out on this so-called ‘magical quest’ of ours.”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Grenda asked boisterously. “We’re going to meet, touch, and/or become unicorns!”

“U-Unicorns?!” Pearl gasped, completely appalled as she looked back to Mabel and Connie. “That’s what all this is about? Well, if that’s the case then you girls can count me out of this little venture!”

“What?” Connie asked as the collective group stopped short to look to the white Gem in confusion. “But why?”

“Why?” Pearl repeated incredulously. “Because simply put, unicorns are nuisances. They always have been, ever since we happened upon them decades ago. Even Rose couldn’t stand their self-entitled attitude and honestly I completely agree with her. I can’t even begin to fathom why on Earth any of you girls would actually want to actively go looking for such… infuriating creatures!”

“Because Grunkle Ford said that if we get a whole bunch of their hair then we can use it to make some sorta barrier thing that’ll keep the shack and the temple safe from Bill!” Mabel informed with a sense of pressing urgency.

“Wait, what?!” the white Gem exclaimed, even more stunned to her this. “Y-you mean there’s actually a way to arm ourselves against that… that monster? All this time and we had no idea… This changes everything!”

“So… does that mean you’ll help us find a unicorn?” Connie asked, exchanging a hopeful glance with Mabel.

Pearl hesitated for a beat at this, though inevitably she let out a long, begrudging sigh, knowing that she really had no other choice. “I suppose I will if I really must… Still, I wish there was another way of going about this… Dealing with those infernal unicorns almost isn’t worth the aggravation, even if it will potentially help us ward off Cipher…”

“Um… well, who knows?” Mabel said with a bit of a forced, encouraging smile. “Maybe unicorns aren’t as bad as you remember them being, Pearl. I mean, based on everything I’ve heard about them, they sound like they’re the most magical, sparkly, amazing magical horses out there!”

“I hear that if you lick a unicorn’s neck, it tastes like your favorite flavor in the world!” Candy added enthusiastically.

“Candy, I will make sure you lick that unicorn’s neck, because I care about my friends,” Mabel said with heavy resolve, remembering what Ford had said about unicorns only allotting their hair to the most pure of heart. And as far as Mabel was concerned, she was already that and then some, to the point that the unicorns very likely wouldn’t need any proof of her innate kindness and goodness at all. Or so she thought.

“Honestly, I stopped believing in unicorns when I was like, five years old,” Wendy remarked, casually swinging at low-hanging tree branches with her axe. “I’m just coming along to keep you kids from stepping into a bear trap and to make sure you guys aren’t too disappointed when you find out unicorns aren’t actually real.”

“Oh, they’re real all right,” Pearl countered, her eye twitching out of slight frustration over the thought of merely encountering any sort of unicorn alone. “Real aggravating.”

“Stop!” Mabel suddenly exclaimed as they reached a rather ethereal glade, filled with shimmering, otherworldly flora, ancient stone monuments, and the occasional fairy or sprite floating nearby. “This is the magical part of the forest! Now, let’s see…” The others gathered around her as she flipped through journal 1 before landing on a map of the mystical area they now found themselves in. “The gnome tavern is over there… the fairy nail salon is over there, but it says that to summon the unicorn, one must bellow this ancient chant droned by only the deepest-voiced druids of old.”

“On it!” Grenda proclaimed, grabbing the journal and rushing forward to the center of the glade. And from there, she got right to chanting, her abnormally deep voice carrying across the clearing as she belted the ancient non-melody out while the others stood by watching curiously.

“Ten bucks says nothing happens,” Wendy said, crossing her arms dubiously.

“I’ll take that bet,” Mabel smirked, confident that this chant would work. And work it did as suddenly, the entire glade began to violently shake. In response to Grenda’s deep, summoning chant, a massive stone structure began to rise up from the ground, one that was clearly mystical in nature based on its castle-like appearance and the shimmering golds and lush vinery decorating it.

“Here we go…” Pearl muttered bitterly to herself as the younger girls reacted excitedly, all of them rushing through the large wooden doors and into a place somehow even more dreamlike and enchanted than the magical forest it was situated in. A rainbow-accented waterfall fed a flowing stream that cut through the grassy enclosure, one that was inhabited by a pan flute playing faun and none other than an unquestionably magical unicorn, one that was practically straight out of fairytales and legends of old. Simply put, she was ethereal, lightly shimmering all over, from her pale blue skin to her bright, multicolored mane and tail, to her huge, wide, sparking eyes. She tossed her rainbow mane and let out a mighty neigh as the intruding group entered, almost all of them completely dazzled by her mere appearance alone, much less her actual existence.

“Mother of mothers!” Grenda gasped, amazed.

“Dream of dreams!” Candy exclaimed, just as stunned.

“It can’t be…” Connie whispered, shocked.

“No way,” Wendy scowled, especially as Mabel reached her hand up for the bet she had just won and the ten bucks she now had to fork over.

“Oh of course…” Pearl grumbled upon looking to the familiar unicorn poised before them. “It just had to be her…”

“Hark!” the unicorn proclaimed sharply, apparently communicating through her glowing pink horn. “Visitors to my realm of enchantment!”

“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!” Mabel squealed happily, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. “What’s your name?”

“I am Celestabellebethabelle, last of my kind!” the unicorn introduced herself. “Come in, come in. Just… take off your shoes. I have a whole thing about shoes.” The girls were quick to comply, all of them removing their shoes at the gate save for Wendy and Pearl, both of whom were already none too enthused about this encounter in the first place. Even so, Celestabellebethabelle was quick to notice their belligerence and even quicker to call them out on it. “Ah, ah! I’m talking to everyone!” Despite their increased annoyance at this, both the cashier and the white Gem complied, though the unicorn let out something of an angry snort the moment she caught sight of Pearl in particular. “You! Crystal Gem!” she exclaimed hotly, slamming one of her hooves down. “I do believe I was quite clear with your leader many years ago that NONE of your kind are welcome back into my mystical domain! So please, be a dear and… REMOVE YOURSELF FROM MY PRESCENCE AT ONCE!”

“Oh, believe me, I gladly would,” Pearl huffed, crossing her arms as she unapologetically at the unicorn. “After all, the last thing I want is to be in the ‘presence’ of someone as completely gaudy and over the top as yourself, Celestabelle.”

“It is Celestabellebethabelle, and I will thank you kindly to remember it!” the unicorn snapped fiercely, lowering herself as though she planned on charging the white Gem herself, though fortunately, Mabel intervened before any such altercation could take place.

“W-wait!” she exclaimed, rushing to stand between the two before offering Celestabellebethabelle a very saccharine smile. “Heh, you’ll have to forgive Pearl here, she… had a pretty rough night last night.”

“I did not!” Pearl exclaimed defensively. “I’ll have you know that I tried sleeping for the first time last night and even if I still don’t understand the functional purpose of such an activity, I’d like to think that I still did a suitable job at it!”

“Pearl…” Connie whispered, giving the white Gem something of a pleading glance. And, despite her own apt frustrations at the unicorn that was still issuing her a rather harsh look, she begrudgingly backed down, knowing that acting out was doing nothing for their much more important cause.

“A-anyway…” Mabel continued, trying to make up for Pearl’s outburst with a heavy layer of politeness. “Celestabellebethabelle, we have journeyed far and wide-”

“About an hour!” Grenda chimed in.

“-On a mission to protect our family with your magical hair!”

“This is your chance, Candy…” Candy whispered to herself as she snuck to Celestabellebethabelle’s side, her tongue out as she leaned in close. “Lick the neck… lick it…”

“Very well!” the unicorn exclaimed, lifting herself up and her neck out of Candy’s reach. “Despite your rather… poor company,” she paused, briefly sending another cold scowl Pearl’s way. “I shall allow you this opportunity out of the immense goodness of my immaculate soul.”

“Oh please…” Pearl muttered, rolling her eyes at such an exaggerated claim.

“To receive a lock of my enchanted hair, step forth, girl of pure, perfect heart!” Celestabellebethabelle called, her tone as dramatic and bold as ever.

After a round of encouraging smiles and nods from Connie, Candy, and Grenda, Mabel stepped forward with a confident grin, assured that she’d be able to win the unicorn’s favor, even despite the rather rough start of this meeting. “Presenting… bum buh da bum bum ba bum bum! Mabel!”

Celestabellebethabelle seemed to take pause for a moment, as if sizing the girl before her up for a moment before letting out a harsh, appalled gasp. “What? You?!” she asked in what sounded like offended disbelief. “A unicorn can see deep inside your heart, child, and you have done WRONG!” To punctuate her claim, Celestabellebethabelle pointed the tip of her horn directly at Mabel, sparking up a bright, heart-shaped glow on her chest, one that was quick to turn dark and black, much to her alarm. “Wrong, I say!”

“W-what?” Mabel gasped, confused and distraught as she quickly covered her heart from the unicorn’s piercing gaze.

“But how can that be?” Connie interjected, quickly placing a comforting hand on Mabel’s shoulder as she addressed Celestabellebethabelle with apt seriousness. “I’m sorry to sound rude, but Mabel really is one of the kindest, most helpful people you’ll ever meet. Right, guys?”

“Yeah!” Grenda exclaimed in rowdy agreement.

“Absolutely,” Candy said resolutely as Pearl and Wendy also nodded.

“So… maybe your magical, uh… heart-scanning magic was just a bit… I don’t know, off?” Connie finished amicably enough.

“It is most certainly NOT ‘off’!” Celestabellebethabelle scoffed hotly. “A unicorn’s tuition is never wrong! And my intuition can confirm, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that THAT girl’s heart is nowhere near pure enough to obtain the prize of my glorious hair!”

“But-”

“H-hold on a sec, Connie,” Mabel interrupted with a fretful frown. “I… s-she… might have a point… I mean, I do make fun of Dipper a lot… Plus there was that whole… puppet show thing with Bill that was kinda mostly my fault… and I did just shatter a window with a crossbow…”

“Your bad deeds make me cry!” Celestabellebethabelle let out an embellished sob, rainbow tears spilling from her eyes and burning up the grass below on contact.

“Noooo!” Mabel cried, shocked and horrified by the unicorn’s incredibly harsh reaction. A reaction that was only garnished from her own apparently unknown lack of purity all along.

“Alright, that’s quite enough!” Pearl interjected hotly, sending Celestabellebethabelle a vicious glare as she came to stand defensively between her and Mabel. “Don’t think I’m not wise to your little ‘game’, Celestabelle.”

“Again, its Celestabellabethabelle!”

“I don’t care!” the white Gem huffed angrily. “If you think I’m going to let you get away with emotionally devastating a poor innocent child like Mabel, then you’re dead wrong!”

“Oh, well that’s just the thing,” Celestabellebethabelle remarked with a knowing smirk. “I don’t ‘have’ to get away with anything. I’m a unicorn. I do whatever I want! Including kick you out of my enchanted glen like the rabble you are.”

“Oh, I’ll show you ‘rabble’ you self-righteous, pretentious, over-glorified equine snob!” Pearl yelled, more than ready to summon her spear and outright attack if not for Connie and Wendy holding her back.

“Uh, Pearl? I’m with you on this whole thing being pretty screwed up, but you should probably reign it in just a little,” Wendy remarked as they began to lead the still quite hostile white Gem out of the glen.

“Yeah, its not worth it,” Connie agreed. “Well, I mean, it is worth it if it means we can get that hair protect the shack and the temple from Bill, but still we shouldn’t resort to violence to get it unless we absolutely have to.”

“Yes, yes, that’s right, leave with whatever small shred of dignity you have left,” Celestabellebethabelle said, turning her nose up at the rest of the group as they dejectedly left in defeat. “Perhaps try coming back when you’re PURE OF HEART!” At this, the unicorn let out another dramatic neigh, only to pause for a brief beat of silence as the group looked to her once more rather incredulously. “Exit is that way. Oh, and shoes! Shoes! Take your shoes! This isn’t some… some shoe store!”

And with that, the collective group was shut out of the unicorn’s glen, though thankfully it didn’t sink back into the ground, just in case they all decided to actually return again. Even so, that wasn’t something any of them were too keen on after the very cold reception they had just received from Celestabellebethabelle, especially Mabel, who was practically fighting back tears over the rather biting, perhaps accurate, claims the unicorn had made against her.

“Hey, Mabel, don’t let her get to you,” Grenda said as both her and Candy put comforting hands on their distraught friends’ shoulders.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t trust a horse that wears makeup,” Wendy scoffed, rolling her eyes over the unicorns’ uppity mannerisms.

“How dare that haughty horse pull that ‘not pure of heart’ gambit again,” Pearl remarked crossly, sending a cold glare back at the now closed gates of the unicorn’s glen. “I wouldn’t put any stock into anything she said back there, Mabel. After all, she had the gall to tell Rose, of all people, that she wasn’t pure of heart around the turn of the century! True, Rose may have made… a few mistakes in the past, but even so, such a claim is completely ridiculous; I mean, Gems don’t even have hearts in the first place!”

“Uh, I think what Pearl is trying to say, Mabel,” Connie interjected much more rationally. “Is that you shouldn’t worry about what that unicorn said about you. We can always find some other way to protect ourselves from Bill. Probably… Hopefully.”

“No, girls, she’s right,” Mabel said, sucking in a deep, resolved breath. “I used to be one of the sweetest people I knew, but recently I’ve been seriously slacking in the whole goodness department. Well, today, we’re gonna fix it! From this moment forth, I’m gonna do so many good deeds that I’ll have the purest heart in Gravity Falls!” With this dedicated proclamation, she threw a first up into the air with gusto, only for it to squarely strike a low flying bird by mistake, knocking out of the air and clearly injuring it, much to everyone else’s concerned surprise. “…That… that bird is fine.”

Knowing that time was of the essence when it came to halting Bill’s ambitions, Ford wasted none of it in calibrating his mysterious Project Mentum while the boys stood by, both of them curious, hopeful, and anxious as they mutually wondered whether or not this plan of action would truly work at all. Eager to finally be rid of the menace that was the dream demon once and for all, Dipper had volunteered to go first, with Steven patiently sitting next to him while Ford carefully hooked him up to the machine by way of its bulky metal helmet. Things had been rather quiet amongst the three of them in light of the seriousness of their shared endeavor, but when this tentative silence finally was broken, Steven was the one to do so.

“Um, Mr. Ford?” he began somewhat hesitantly as the author turned to the machine itself to finish setting it up. “Are you sure this is gonna work?”

“Yes,” Ford said, completely confident as he glanced over his shoulder. “I built this device specifically with the intent of using it as a defense against Bill quite some time ago. Which is why I have the upmost certainty that it’ll do its part in shielding you boys against his influence.”

Steven and Dipper exchanged another brief, somewhat hopeful glace at this, knowing that the promise of freeing themselves from the lingering nightmares Bill caused them even still seemed almost too good to be true. And yet, even that promise, as wonderful as it sounded, wasn’t quite enough for Dipper. Based on past encounters with the mysterious dream demon, as well as the Gems’ own horrific account given last night, he couldn’t help but still have quite a few questions concerning the looming threat that had been terrorizing them all practically all summer. “So… what exactly is Bill anyway?” he asked, hoping that, with his vast knowledge, Ford might hold at least a few answers to those questions.

“No one knows for sure,” Ford began, handing off a folder to his nephew that was simply entitled the ‘Cipher File’. Both Steven and Dipper glanced over its sparse contents, a few old documents that game only very brief, not very detailed information concerning matters only remotely related to Bill as the author went on. “Accounts differ of his true motivations and origin. What I do know is that he’s older than our galaxy, and far more twisted. His current domain is the Nightmare Realm, an unstable place of untold horrors all crafted by Bill himself. Thankfully though, he’s mostly confined there, for now. Without a physical form, he can only project himself into our thoughts through the mindscape. That’s why he wants this,” Ford held up the rift, being ever careful with its fragile form as the boys both looked to it apprehensively. “I dismantled the portal, but with this tear, Bill still has a way into our reality. To get his hands on this rift, he would trick or possess anyone.”

“Wait, so… he wants that rift too?” Steven asked, unconsciously placing a hand over where his gemstone was.

“Too?” Ford paused, turning to glance at the young Gem at this. “What do you mean ‘too’?”

“Uh… well…” Steven hesitated somewhat, though upon receiving an encouraging nod from Dipper, he decided it was best if he spoke his piece. “Last night, Bill showed up in a dream I had. He tried to get me to give him my gem, but after I told him no, he said that its already his since my mom promised to give it to him. The Gems are pretty sure that Mom never did that, but… I’m still not sure. What do you think, Mr. Ford?”

The author didn’t answer right away, instead looking to the young Gem with an expression of unquestionable alarm upon hearing such a claim. Yet at the same time, his reaction to the news was every bit as vague as it was when he learned that Bill had possessed Dipper, almost as if he was trying to conceal how he really felt about such a revelation. “So you’re the one he-” Ford quickly cut himself off, noticing the curious looks both boys were sending him as he immediately regained his usual scholarly composure. “Hm, yes, well, the fact that Bill is after your gemstone is extremely troubling indeed, Steven. Even so, I agree with the Gems; its highly unlikely that Rose would have agreed to turn over her gemstone to the likes of him, no matter what he might have promised her for it. As for why he might want it though, that’s… unclear. It makes sense that he’d want to get ahold of the rift, but its hard to say what he might want a gemstone—Rose Quartz’s gemstone in particular—for. Unless…”

“Unless… what?” Steven pressed, immensely curious.

Ford jolted at this, quickly shaking his head as if to clear it before offering both boys a somewhat forced reassuring smile. “Oh, i-its nothing, nothing at all,” he remarked with a dismissive wave of his hand. “What matters now is that we do what we can to protect our minds from Bill.”

“So how exactly do we do that?” Dipper asked intently.

“Well, there are a number of ways,” the author said. “I personally had a metal plate installed in my head by an otherworldly, seven-eyed oracle.”

“Heh, good one,” Dipper chuckled in response to such an admittedly outlandish claim. That is, until Ford proved it to be true by knocking against the side of his head, eliciting a strong metallic sound that was more than enough to get his nephew to awkwardly retract his doubt.

“But this machine is much safer,” the author continued, nodding to the several screens behind them. “It will scan your mind, bioelectrically encrypting your thoughts so Bill can’t read them. Now…” Ford paused, only to press the final button to set Project Mentum in motion. “Say hello to your thoughts.”

All at once, the machine sparked to life, its various screens filling in with Dipper’s own thoughts, putting them all on unfettered display for all three of them to see and hear as they cycled through at a seemingly random pace: “Oh man, I can’t believe I’m actually with the author!” “Is my fly down?” “Disco girl! Coming through!” “I miss Tyrone…” “Bill better stay away from Steven if he knows what’s good for him!” “I have to find a way to save Lapis!” “Huh, I might be just a little emotionally unstable… Maybe I should go get some therapy or something?”

“Um, y-you might wanna… ignore that last one…” Dipper said, quite flustered by his thoughts being so openly and unintentionally revealed like that.

“Whoa, that’s so cool!” Steven exclaimed, stars in his eyes. “I wanna see what my thoughts have to say! I mean, I already know what they say since they’re in my head, but I wanna see them laid out on a screen like that!”

“And you will,” Ford interjected. “After Dipper is done. This is a very delicate process that could potentially take hours to complete. Which means all we can do now is be patient and let the machine do its job.”

“Oh, well, uh, maybe in the meantime you could… I dunno, maybe fill us in on what your history with Bill is in the first place?” Dipper ventured, still quite eager to know exactly what the apparently quite significant context for Ford’s impressive knowledge concerning the dream demon actually was.

“Dipper, do you trust me?” Ford asked, his tone quite serious as he knelt down next to his great nephew.

“Well, yeah, but-”

“Then you’ll trust that that’s not important,” the author concluded staunchly, standing as he headed back over to his desk, leaving both Dipper and Steven as much in the dark as they ever were. “Now, focus. Its time to strengthen your mind…”

Determined to prove herself to Celestabellebethabelle, Mabel took to the town, the others following suit to do whatever they could to help her carry out the lengthy list of good deeds she had come up with. Their main objective was clear: to help out as many people as they could in the hopes that no one, not even the unicorn herself, would be able to deny that Mabel was not just more than worthy enough to not just obtain that magical hair, but also that her heart was overflowing with purity and goodness beyond compare.

And so the group set out to do just that, lending their cheerful aid to any troubled soul they could find. They moved snails from the danger of the streets to the safety of the grass and planted a tree right in front of the door to the Gravity Falls’ Gossiper office, unknowingly trapping Toby Determined inside of it. They helped Kiki on her pizza delivery route and fixed up several of the games at Funland Arcade. They gave Stan a literal smile in the form of a giant smiley face sticker slapped onto his face and Mabel even went as far as donating three pints of her own blood to those in need, disregarding her own lightheadedness after the fact. From there, they covered several smaller deeds on the list, like helping old ladies and ducks cross the road, to filling Lazy Susan’s tip jar, to sprucing up the town statues of Nathaniel Northwest and William Dewey with a fresh coat of glitter. Though their altruistic mission took several hours of hard, selfless work on their part, by the time they were finished, they all felt quite satisfied that they had met their goal, particularly Mabel as they began to make their way back to the unicorn’s glade.

“Boom! A thousand good deeds!” she exclaimed happily as she crossed the last item off her list. “When that unicorn scans my heart again, she’s gonna say that I’m absolutely, one hundred percent, bona-fide-”

“NOT pure of heart!” Celestabellebethabelle proclaimed after the group returned to her glen, her insistence on the matter just as harsh and firm as it was before.

“Booyah!” Mabel cheered, though she quickly changed her tune upon realizing exactly what the unicorn had said. “Wait… w-what?”

“How is that even possible?” Wendy asked with an incredulous scoff. “Mabel’s a straight up saint, you judgmental hoofbag!”

“Seriously, she just spent the entire afternoon helping people,” Connie added knowingly. “Doesn’t that mean anything here?”

“Please! Tell me what I’m doing wrong!” Mabel practically begged, distraught that her efforts were apparently all for naught.

“Doing good deeds to make yourself look better isn’t good at all,” Celestabellebethabelle remarked haughtily. “Not to mention you’re crushing like, ten dandelions right now. Those are basically children’s dreams.” Mabel let out a horrified gasp at this, quickly stepping off the small patch of dandelions she was incidentally standing on before the unicorn condescendingly continued. “I’m sorry, Mabel. It’s not my fault you’re a bad person.”

Unable to take the unicorn’s brutally harsh criticisms any longer, Mabel ran off, not even trying to hold back a heartbroken sob amidst this second, much more painful rejection. As appalled by Celestabellebethabelle’s rather cruel attitude as they were, most of the others didn’t stick around to chastise her on it as they all hurried out of the glen to make sure she was alright. All except for Pearl, who decided to hang back solely for the sake of giving the unicorn a few choice words in light of the completely shameful display she had just witnessed.

“You may have those girls fooled, but you’re not fooling me,” the white Gem said, her voice almost a vicious hiss as she glared at the unicorn unflinchingly. “I know what you’re trying to do here. You did the exact same thing to Rose Quartz about 100 years ago so if you think I’m going to stand by and let you tear someone else down like that, especially someone like Mabel, then you’ve got another thing coming!”

“Oh really?” Celestabellebethabelle deadpanned, clearly not taking the white Gem seriously. “And what exactly might that ‘thing’ be?”

“Trying to act like you’re some grand authority on the contents of a person’s character!” Pearl exclaimed hotly. “I don’t know who made you had the right to judge others like you do, but whoever they were, they probably knew as little about actually being good and kind as you do.”

“As if you really know any better?” Celestabellebethabelle scoffed crossly. “The last time you were here a century ago, the only thing I saw you do was helplessly cling to your precious Rose Quartz as if she was paradigm of perfection. But even still, all these years later, I still stand what I said. She’s not pure of heart and neither are YOU!”

Pearl simply let out a harsh scoff at this, not even bothering to dignify the unicorn with a response to this as she simply turned on her heel to leave, though not before giving one final, bitter remark as she departed. “I don’t need some sanctimonious unicorn to tell me that,” she huffed, her anger dissipating into remorse as she completely turned away, recalling a certain recent mistake of hers that had all but proved her impurities through and through. “After all…” she muttered to herself somewhat sadly. “I already know…”

However, the white Gem’s self-pity didn’t last too long as she left the unicorn’s glen, only to find the girls all gathered around Mabel, who was lying close to the nearby stream, curled up into a miserable ball as she wept quietly, even despite the comfort the others were trying to offer her.

“Come on, Mabel,” Wendy encouraged earnesty. “Don’t beat yourself up about this.”

“Let’s just forget about that dumb hair and go home,” Candy advised, though Mabel was having none of that.

“It’s not just about the hair anymore, guys,” she sniffled as she sat upright and held her list of failed good deeds close. “It’s about me. Being kind and sweet is what makes me who I am. If I’m not a good person, then who am I?”

“Well, I know who you are,” Connie interjected, placing a steadying hand on Mabel’s shoulder. “You’re Mabel; you’re fun and creative and most of all, kind, no matter what that unicorn says. And you don’t have to prove that to anyone, especially not her; because as far as we’re all concerned, that was something we all knew from the very start.”

Upon hearing this, Mabel briefly looked up at Connie, her cheeks still wet with tears as she met the warm smile her friend was offering her. And for a moment, her encouraging, hopeful words almost managed to convince her that it was true, that she was a good person, despite Celestabellebethabelle’s claims. And yet… it still wasn’t quite enough. “I-I appreciate it, Connie, but… she’s right…” Mabel sighed sadly as she pulled her shoulder away. “Its time I finally admit it to myself; I’m just not as pure of heart as I used to think I was… Which is why I’m not leaving this spot until I think of a deed that makes me as good as Celestabellebethabelle!”

“But Mabel-” Grenda attempted to reason before she was promptly cut off.

“Just leave me be!” Mabel snapped in morose frustration, turning her back to the group as she began pondering over her list once more. The other girls were largely at a loss over what to do to comfort her at this juncture, but even so, they didn’t get much of a chance as Pearl discreetly called them all over to her spot under a nearby tree.

“Alright, enough is enough,” the white Gem began as soon as they had all gathered near her. “It’s time to put an end to this unicorn nonsense once and for all. And the sooner we do it, the better, especially for Mabel’s sake…” Pearl frowned as she stole a sympathetic glance at the miserable girl sitting only a few feet away, desperate to find a way to make herself worthy in the eyes of a creature who clearly didn’t deserve that kind of valiant effort.

“I’m with Pearl on this one,” Wendy staunchly agreed with a deepening scowl. “If you ask me, this whole thing is a serious load. Mabel’s like one of the best people I’ve ever met. We tried getting that hair the nice way; now its time we try the Wendy way.”

“Are you suggesting violence? Sabotage?” Grenda asked, caught off guard.

“Oooo… you know, normally I’m not the kind to approve of such roguish behavior but… in this instance… that sounds… quite intriguing…” Pearl remarked, sending a daring smirk towards the nearby unicorn’s glen.

“Honestly, at this point? I’m up for trying something like that too,” Connie said, crossing her arms. “Its about time someone puts that awful unicorn in her place, so it might as well be us.”

“But what about Mabel?” Candy asked worriedly. “She’s not going to like this…”

“Mabel doesn’t need to know,” Wendy shook her head dismissively. “Look, its time we stopped trying to be so ‘perfect’ and be who we really are. We’re crazed, angry, sweaty animals—well, except for you, Pearl, I guess. No offense.”

“None taken,” Pearl said, nodding for her to go on with her inspiring rand.

“But anyway, we’re not unicorns, we’re WOMEN! And we take what we want!” To punctuate her point, Wendy slammed her fist into the nearby tree, eliciting excited cheers from Connie, Candy, and Grenda alike as well as a satisfied grin from Pearl.

In fact, the newfound revelry was so contagious that Grenda ended up smashing a rather large rock to bits against her forehead, instantly quieting the cheers as the others all looked to her, aptly startled. “…Too much?”

“Ok,” Wendy said as the group huddled in to begin their ambitious, albeit morally ambiguous plan. “Here’s what we’re gonna do…”

Gnasty’s Gnome Tavern was by and large the most popular gnome tavern anywhere near Gravity Falls, largely since it was just about the only gnome tavern in the surrounding area. Its usual patrons were a notoriously rowdy bunch who spent their days knocking back honeysuckle shots and exchanging the regular brutal punch or kick to the face to anyone in the remote vicinity. Yet despite their renowned roughhousing, none of the gnomes occupying the tavern were quite prepared for the much larger group that rather violently burst into the bar completely out of nowhere.

“It’s the cops!” one of the gnomes cried as the tavern was immediately thrown into a panic as the group of girls forcefully pushed themselves into the hallowed-out tree. “Hit the deck!”

“We’re looking for someone who knows how to take down a unicorn!” Wendy shouted fiercely amidst the clatter of scattering gnomes. “No tricks or games!”

“We are human!” Candy yelled, breaking an empty bottle over a nearby table and holding its sharpened end up threateningly. “We take what we want!”

“I know a sure-fire way of K.Oin’ a unicorn,” a rather shady, grizzled gnome sitting in the darkened corner of the tavern spoke up. “Too bad I ain’t in the market for spillin’ that kinda info to a bunch of normal-sized girlies like yourselves.”

“Oh, I think you will,” Connie said coldly, drawing Rose’s sword and aiming its sharp tip directly at the gnome.

“Heh,” he chuckled, surprisingly not surprised by this overt threat. “I like the way you ladies operate. So, listen up. Fairy dust; a whole magic bag’s enough to put a unicorn out cold. But if I do you a favor, then you gotta do somethin’ for me.”

“Just spill it, half-pint!” Grenda roared, slamming her fist against a nearby tree stump.

“Now, now, patience,” Pearl advised much more calmly as she looked back to the gnome with solid seriousness. “Name your price.”

“Butterfly traffickin’ is illegal in this part of the forest,” the gnome began, his voice low and discreet. “But I like butterflies. They tickle my face and make me laugh. Bring me a bag of butterflies and we got a deal.”

The girls all exchanged a dubious glance at this, most of them rather bewildered by how the odd rules and regulations of gnome culture. Even so, they were quick to nod their agreement to this plan, knowing that this haggle would be more than worth it to make Celestabellebethabelle pay for what she had done.

Fortunately, it didn’t take the group but a few minutes to capture a whole bag full of butterflies before meeting up with the gnome in the designated clearing. The others all hid out in the nearby bushes as they sent Grenda in to preform the trade, her manner just as unsuspecting as the gnomes as she quietly handed him off the bag of butterflies before he produced his end of the bargain.

“Two bags of fairy dust, just as we agreed,” he said, turning over two small pouches of the glittering substance.

“Where do you get this stuff?” Grenda shook her head, glancing between the dust and the gnome.

“Everyone likes sausage, but no one likes to know how it’s made,” the gnome smirked as he peeked into his bag of butterflies.

“You disgust me.”

“Hey, you got your poison; I got mine. We made a deal.”

“Yeah, well, the deal’s OFF!” Grenda shouted, blowing a whistle to summon an entire squadron of gnome policemen from the nearby woods. The arrangement with the cops had been an easy enough one to make, one that resulted in a meticulously planned-out sting operation that was already unfolding exactly as planned.

“Freeze!” the chief shouted as the first gnome was heavily pinned down by the other cops, his butterflies quickly swiped away from him. “You’re under arrest!”

“These butterflies aren’t mine! I swear I’ve been framed!” the gnome cried, sending a harsh glare to Grenda and the other girls as they came out of the bushes to join her.

“Tell it to the adorable owl we’ve dressed as a judge,” the chief scoffed as the gnome as hauled away for sentencing. “My cut?” he held his hand out to Grenda a beat later, and she handed him one of the two bags of fairy dust, just as they had agreed upon.

“Has the gnome criminal justice system always been this corrupt?” Connie asked with a somewhat concerned frown over these shady proceedings.

“Oh believe me, they have,” Pearl remarked, crossing her arms knowingly.

With the butterfly bust complete and a full bag of fairy dust still in hand, the group wasted no time in hurrying back over the unicorn’s glen, taking care to not let Mabel spot them as she remained at her spot near the stream, still trying in vain to come up with more good deeds to accomplish. With Celestabellebethabelle distracted with reading as she was, she didn’t even notice as they all slipped into her magical domain, filing in behind a row of rocks and trees so they wouldn’t be seen as they prepared to carry the final steps of their daring plan out.

“Oh, sure, I wish I could travel, but its just not feasible in this economy!” Celestabellebethabelle huffed to herself as she read through her copy of Whinny, Prey, Trot. However, it was only a moment later that the unicorn was struck squarely in the face with the full bag full of fairy dust as a result of Candy’s accurate aim. “W-what the hey-!?” was all she really had time to say before the magical substance did its trick, knocking her out cold. Her attending faun witnessed all of this with apt horror, but as he tried piping out an SOS on his panflute, Grenda was quick to slip out of the shadows and cover his mouth with a towel dosed with a healthy amount of chloroform.

“Sleep now!” she hissed as the faun slowly went limp and unconscious as well. “Sleeeeeep…”

“Alright,” Pearl said as the others hurried over to the fainted unicorn. “Let’s get this over with.”

“Right,” Wendy nodded, pulling out a pair of scissors and a sizable lock of Celestabellebethabelle’s multi-colored hair. And yet, before she could make the decisive cut, their plans all too quickly fell through when they were unexpectedly discovered by the very person they had been trying to keep their ambitions a secret from in the first place.

“No, wait!” Mabel gasped, standing in the entrance of the glen only to see the others about to outright steal some of the unicorn’s precious hair. “Stop! What are you guys doing?!”

“What does it look like we’re doing?” Pearl asked in a careful whisper, glancing over at the still unconscious Celestabellebethabelle. “We’re taking what we deserve, whether that uppity unicorn likes it or not!”

“Yeah, seriously, Mabel, keep it down!” Wendy cautioned, moving her scissors in to clip the hair. “You’ll wake her up!”

“But this is wrong, you guys!” Mabel exclaimed, swiftly taking the scissors away from the cashier.

“But protecting the shack and the temple is good,” Wendy rationalized, trying to take the scissors back. However, before she could, the unthinkable happened as Celestabellebethabelle suddenly began to stir from her momentary slumber only to spot Mabel and the scissors she was unintentionally gripping the very moment she opened her eyes.

“What?!” the unicorn gasped, quickly rising to her feet. “Doth mine eyes deceive me?! THIEF! You shall never be pure of heart!”

“N-no!” Mabel cried, instantly dropping the scissors as she looked to Celestabellebethabelle pleadingly. “Y-you don’t understand! I-I wasn’t… it was… P-please!” she ended up begging, tears falling from her eyes as she made one final, desperate plea to the outraged unicorn, even though she knew it likely wouldn’t help her now. “I-I just wanna be good like you!”

Celestabellebethabelle was more than prepared to fire off a harsh retort at this, however, right as she was about to, this intense confrontation was suddenly interrupted by a very unlikely pair. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, you’ve gotta be kidding me,” a male voice said, coming from one of the two unicorns that had just emerged from the other side of the glen, one red, one blue, and neither of them looking that amused with Celestabellebethabelle in light of what they’d just witnessed. “Yo, C-Beth, are you seriously pulling that whole ‘pure of heart’ scam again?”

“That is messed up, man,” the other unicorn added, shaking his mane disapprovingly.

“Wait… scam?” Mabel asked, exchanging a confused glance with the others.          

“Listen, kid,” the blue unicorn began rather dryly. “Unicorns can’t see into your heart. All our dumb horns can do is glow, point towards the nearest rainbow, and play rave music.” To prove his point, his horn began to somehow play a bout of upbeat techno music, which he could easily switch off at ease.

“Yeah, the whole ‘pure of heart’ racket is just a line we use to get humans to leave us alone,” the red unicorn said with a knowing scoff.

“Guuuuuys…” Celestabellebethabelle whispered nervously as her entire scheme began to fall apart. “Shut uuuuuup…”

“Wait, so… it was a lie all this time…?” Pearl spoke up before breaking out into a bout of triumphant, albeit somewhat unhinged laughter. “Ha! I knew it! I knew she was a fraud! All these years and I was right! It really was just a cruel trick to tear others down all along! Oh, if only Rose was still around to hear this, I bet she’d feel just as vindicated as I do right now!”

However, despite the white Gem’s zealous excitement, not everyone was as elated to hear the truth of the unicorn’s malicious gambit. “All this time…” Mabel began, her voice low and practically shaking with rage as she crushed her list of good deeds in her hands altogether. “All this time I thought I was a bad person, but you’re even worse than I am!” Her anger reached its mounting height as she threw her notepad down hard, her hands in tight fists as she glared at Celestabellebethabelle, refusing to let the deceptive unicorn be the judge of her any longer.

“Ok, fine,” Celestabellebethabelle huffed haughtily, knowing she’d been caught. “So you learned our secret. We’re jerks, ok? We have more hair than we know what to do with, and we keep it to ourselves just to tick humans off. So, what are you gonna do about it, huh? Huh? What are you gonna do-”

The unicorn was abruptly cut off the moment one of Mabel’s fists made brutal contact with the side of her jaw, instantly drawing some of her sparkling, rainbow-colored blood. Just about everyone gasped in shock in light of this sudden attack, and even Mabel herself was stunned by it as she looked to her own blood-covered hand, one that quickly turned back into a fist as she sent Celestabellebethabelle another hateful glare.

“Woo! Go Mabel!” Wendy cheered, already pulling her axe out of its hoister to join in on the fight.

“Join the dark side!” Grenda yelled, grabbing a nearby log to use as her weapon.

Mabel did just that as she fiercely tore the unicorn stitched onto her sweater off, making it quite clear that her former admiration and respect for the hypocritical mythical creatures was all but completely shattered right then and there. This sentiment of righteous fury carried throughout the rest of the group as well, with Wendy, Candy, and Grenda cheering for the no doubt oncoming fight as Connie swiftly drew her sword and Pearl even went as far as summoning her spear.

“You know, I usually don’t believing in physically harming any of the magical creatures of Gravity Falls,” the white Gem began as her expression slowly changed into a vengeful smirk. “But in this case, I’m more than willing to make an exception.”

“Oh, so it’s a fight you want, huh?” Celestabellebethabelle growled, digging her hoof into the soil below her as her fellow unicorns prepared themselves for the inevitable brawl. “Well, then it’s a fight you’re gonna get!”

Without any further hesitation from anyone, both sides rushed each other, meeting in a violent clash that quickly devolved into boundless chaos. Mabel was initially kicked back clean in the face by one of the unicorn’s hard-hitting hooves, though Connie was quick to swoop in for retribution, slamming the dull edge of Rose’s sword against his head in a decisive move. Grenda had landed one of the other unicorns in a headlock, repeatedly punching it in the face as Candy jumped onto his back and pulled on his hair as he let a heavy neigh of protest. Wendy was the first to get the jump on Celestabellebethabelle herself, only to be nearly trampled underfoot as she reared up high. Even so, she quickly fell back to the ground as Pearl landed a swift, elegant kick to her gut, one that was followed up by Mabel coming in for another punch to her snout. As intense and wild as this scuffle was, none of the girls could really deny that it was cathartic as could be; with each blow or beating they inflicted upon the deceitful unicorns, it felt as though there weren’t just taking out their anger in some much-needed revenge. It felt as though they were righting a grave wrong, breaking out of molds that they saw no reason to belong in any longer, and rising above unattainable standards that never truly existed in the first place. And most of all, they were proving, not just to Celestabellebethabelle, but to themselves, that the content of their characters was no one’s call but their own.

A feat that in and of itself would have been rewarding enough; though socking a sickeningly snobbish unicorn clean in the jaw only made that reward all the better.

As Ford had said, Project Mentum’s mental encryption process worked at an incredibly slow pace, something that Dipper and Steven realized more and more every time they stole a glance back at the screens behind them, which, even several hours later, still only showed its minimal progress at a mere 15%. In fact, it was taking so long that Ford had ended up falling asleep amidst pouring over his notes, leaving the boys to keeping themselves entertained during what was certainly a very lengthy, very boring endeavor.

“Ok, its my turn,” Steven grinned as he carried on the rather one-sided game of ‘I spy’ they had playing. “I spy with my little eye something… blue!”

“My vest,” Dipper answered immediately, clearly far from invested, especially when compared to the young Gem.

“Oh yeah, you got it!” Steven cheered brightly. “Then again, that one wasn’t that tough since there aren’t a lot of blue things in here.” The young Gem chuckled lightly at this, though his humor died down somewhat as he glanced over to far less enthusiastic friend beside him. “Um… Dipper? Are you ok?”

“Huh?” Dipper sat up a little at this, glancing over to Steven briefly. “Oh yeah, I’m fine, its just… we’ve been at this for hours now and it really doesn’t seem like anything’s actually happening.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, how do we really even know that this thing is actually gonna keep Bill from messing with us anymore?”

“Well, Mr. Ford said-”

“I know what Ford said,” Dipper sighed in growing frustration, especially as he glanced over at his sleeping great uncle a few feet away. “But how does he know? Why does he have to be so mysterious about Bill anyway? The Gems told us what they know about him, so why won’t Great Uncle Ford? He knows we’ve dealt with Bill before, which means whatever he’s keeping from us, I can handle it! I-I mean, we can handle it.”

“Maybe… he’s just not ready to tell us about it yet?” Steven suggested, largely respecting the author’s call on this. After all, given just how brutal and horrific the Gems’ past was with Bill, it only made sense that if Ford’s previous encounters with the dream demon were anything of the sort, that he’d be hesitant to discuss them. Dipper, on the other hand, was not so easily allayed.

“Hm… or maybe…” he trailed off, his sights still set on the author as his thoughts, made audible by the machine he was still connected to, filled in for him. “Maybe you should just use the machine! It’ll show us his thoughts!”

“H-huh?” Steven glanced behind him, somewhat alarmed to see and hear Dipper’s thoughts once more, especially as Dipper himself hardly seemed to pay them any mind. “Dipper, I… don’t know if using the machine on Mr. Ford is such a good idea…”

“Yeah, you’re probably right, we really shouldn’t…” Dipper said in apparent agreement, though his thoughts clearly said otherwise. “Great Uncle Ford won’t have to know. He’s going to tell you anyway.”

“Y-yeah, I’m sure he will!” Steven interjected anxiously. “Which is why we should probably just respect his privacy and let him tell us when he’s ready! R-right?”

“Right, right,” Dipper nodded, closing his eyes pensively as his thoughts continuing unveiling the truth. “No, not right! The more you know about Bill, the safer you’ll be! The more you can help!” “But then again… it could show us something really useful. You never know.”

“W-well, I do know that I think this is a bad idea,” the young Gem shook his head, his dread growing more and more by the second in light of his friend’s rather concerning thoughts, especially as they began to take on something of a more frustrated tone.

“Easy for Steven to say, he wasn’t the one who Bill tricked and possessed and nearly killed like YOU were!” Dipper’s expression darkened at this recollection, something that made Steven’s heart and stomach both sink in worry and fear alike. And those feelings only spiked as Dipper slowly removed the helmet, his stream of consciousness finally going silent as he kept his resolved sights on Ford and nothing else. “I’m sorry, Steven,” he said, his voice almost unnervingly quiet as he rose to stand. “But I have to know.”

“B-but-”

“It’ll be just a quick peek, I promise,” Dipper assured, casting a brief final glance back at Steven before carefully and quietly putting the helmet on his still-sleeping uncle. “What are you hiding about Bill…?”

The moment that Dipper finished securing the helmet onto Ford was the moment he got his answer. And that answer was much more horrifying than anything either him or Steven could have expected. For as soon as the device began to read the author’s thoughts, none other than the menacing image of Bill Cipher himself appeared on all of Project Mentum’s many screens, floating amidst a background of his iconic, sinister blue flames and cackling like the madman he was absolutely known to be. Unified gasps of equal fear rose up from both of the boys as Steven shot out of his seat, rushing to Dipper’s side as they watched with wide eyes and racing hearts as Ford’s slumbering thoughts told a story that neither of them ever thought they’d see.

“Where are these ideas coming from?!” A much younger McGucket yelled to a younger Ford, harshly shaking his shoulders as he gave him a look of complete and utter distrust. “Who are you workin’ with?!”

“Stanford, you HAVE to tell me what’s going on!” Another screen switched to Rose, her expression rife with worry as she spoke to the author just as urgently. “Who is ‘he’? Why won’t you let me help you instead?!”

“Because I don’t NEED you as long as I have him!” Ford shouted back, quite furious with the pink Gem for whatever reason.

The other screens were just as active as they flashed with an array of alarming images. Ford restlessly tossing and turning in his sleep, lost in an apparent torrent of unseen nightmares. Him writing “I’M LOSING MY MIND!” and “TRUST NO ONE!” into journal 3 in frantic, erratic script. The portal, sparking to life as nothing but sheer darkness and devastation lay beyond its otherworldly light. And throughout all this, several different voices joined in, weaving into this disjointed, frightening narrative each in their own unique, disconcerting way.

“My brother is a dangerous know-it-all…” Stan warned, though Ford himself soon cut him off with a warning of his own.

“He would trick or possess anyone-” the author had said and Steven and Dipper hadn’t doubted him. And yet the next scene they saw was more than enough to make them both doubt everything Ford had every said to them.

“Then it’s a deal,” Ford smiled, young and clearly confident as he held his hand out in offering. “From now until the end of time.”

Bill’s eye flashed with some unknown intent as he also extended a hand, one that was aglow with blue flames as he spoke with faux amicability. “Sure thing! Just let me into your mind, Stanford!”

“Please,” the author’s smile widened, completely oblivious to the danger the dream demon posed as their hands met in a solidifying shake over their ‘deal’. “Call me… a friend.”

The very next thing the boys saw was the result of this deal, Ford himself possessed by Bill, his eyes dark slits against piercing yellow and his voice mingling with the demon’s as they both cackled wickedly together in perfect, awful unison.

While Steven was largely stunned into silence by all this, Dipper only managed to get a few words out himself, even despite his own immense panic as the demon’s telltale maniacal laughter rang in his ears just as much as it had when he had been pulled out of his own body weeks ago. “N-no…” he choked, his voice barely a whisper as he shook his head in disbelief, hoping and practically praying it wasn’t true. “No, i-it… it can’t be… Ford a-and… and Bill?!”

Another sharp gasp rose from both boys as a sudden clamor rose from behind them, and as tense as they already were, they quickly spun around only to find that Ford himself had finally woken up at the very worst possible time. “You shouldn’t have done that…” the author said, his voice low and dark as he slowly stood. By his expression alone it was clear he as tranquilly furious, even though his eyes were obscured by the screens’ bright reflection off his glasses, which only served to make him even more admittedly intimidating as he towered over both of the terrified boys. Even still, Ford hardly seemed to note their obvious fear as he roughly took the helmet off and tossed it aside in his anger. The helmet just so happened to strike one of the many sheets covering the walls as it landed, easily pulling them down to reveal something that only made the boys’ palpable horror skyrocket exponentially.

Hidden behind both layers of curtains and secrets was what could only be defined as an all-out shrine to Bill Cipher. Several statutes prisms and statues of the demon were tucked away into the shadows, almost like twisted idols paying homage and reverence to someone who both Dipper and Steven knew to be an absolute monster worthy of no such honor. But worst of all, the walls were covered in detailed murals depicting Bill’s triangular over and over again, all of his painted eyes seeming to stare down at the frightened boys below them.

“W-what is all this?!” Steven asked, his entire body trembling as he forced himself to look away from the depiction of the demon who had haunted his dreams just a few hours prior.

“W-why… why were you shaking hands with Bill?!” Dipper exclaimed, quickly turning back around to face Ford, quickly glancing around for some means of defending himself and Steven, just in case. Fortunately, the Sword of Seasons was sitting on a table close by, largely since Ford had been tinkering with the invention a bit earlier, and even though the thought of drawing that blade against his own uncle made him sick, Dipper grabbed it nonetheless, as well as the memory erasing gun lying right next to it. “Steven! Grab the rift!”

Steven sucked in a sharp breath at this but he didn’t argue, quickly grabbing the rift off the table next to them, though amidst his rush to summon a bubble to further protect them, he nearly dropped the precious tear altogether.

“Careful!” Ford scolded harshly, his glasses still reflecting gold as he reached out to grab the rift, though he couldn’t get too close thanks to the bubble now surrounding the pair as they began to carefully back away. “Hand me the rift! Now, boys!”

“N-no!” Dipper retorted, trying to sound as brave as he could amidst his mounting fear. “You said Bill could possess anyone so he could get this, but—but you made a deal with him! How do we know you aren’t Bill right now!?”

“Now, just calm down, p-”

“Pine Tree?!” Dipper instantly cut Ford off, finally aiming the memory gun at him as opposed to his sword as memories of constant sleeps plagued with endless nightmares where Bill taunted and teased him with that very nickname flashed through his mind. “Is that what you were going to call me?!”

“I was just going to say please, kid!” Ford rationalized, but even so, his tone was still harsh and cold. By now, the boys had essentially backed themselves up into a corner, leaving them trapped with only Steven’s bubble serving as their only real defense against what could very well be Bill Cipher.

“Great Uncle Ford told me to protect the rift!” Dipper shouted, glancing over to make sure that Steven was still holding it close and tight. “And I’m not about to let you get your hands on it or on Steven’s gem! Get one step closer and I’ll shoot!” He aimed the memory gun up a bit higher at this, with the full intent to fire it off even despite knowing full well what its effects could be. “I’ll erase you right out of Ford’s head!”

“It’s me, Dipper!” Ford yelled hotly, his severity hardly calming either of the boys down whatsoever. “It’s your uncle!”

For the briefest moment, Dipper hesitated at this, his hands shaking as he tried, so very hard to believe that it really was just Ford, that Bill wasn’t using him as his own twisted puppet just as he had been weeks ago. And yet, he knew he couldn’t; because doing so could very well put himself, Steven, and even reality itself at risk. And that was a risk he wasn’t about to take when it came to Bill. Not again, not ever again.

“Steven, drop the bubble,” he said starkly, his tone every bit as shaky as his arms were.

“W-what?” Steven’s longstanding fearful silence finally broke at this, his eyes wide as he clung onto the rift and looked to his friend in disbelief.

“I said, drop it,” Dipper repeated, still not tearing his hardened gaze off of Ford, especially as the author threw his hand down onto the bubble’s pink surface out of anger.

“B-but that’s-”

“I know.”

“But if you shoot him, t-then his memories will-”

“I know, Steven!” Dipper shouted back fiercely, finally looking to the young Gem and allowing him to see just how much panic, rage, and sorrow were all mingled into his expression all at once. “Just drop it already!”

At this final, harsh command, Steven found he could no longer argue as he instead pulled the rift even closer to his chest, closing his eyes tightly as he slowly let the bubble disappear, leaving nothing between them and Ford. Nothing that is, safe for the memory gun that was brightly sparking with its erasing light in Dipper’s hands.

“T-trust no one…” he muttered to himself, tears starting to well up in his eyes as he prepared to squeeze the trigger. The author’s own mantra rung true, certainly in a moment like this, when even the person who wrote it himself couldn’t be trusted. And while Dipper had failed before in upholding it, he knew that he wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice, not when so very many things that mattered so much to him were at stake. “Trust no one! Trust-”

“Hand it to me!” Ford demanded, and it was at that moment that Dipper knew he had no choice. On a beat of sheer terror and impulse alone, he squeezed the trigger, the bright beam firing off directly at the author as both boys were knocked back by it. Miraculously, the ray struck Ford clean on his glasses, which reflected it perfectly and sent it bounding across nearly every surface in the entire room. Steven was quick to protect himself and Dipper from it by way of his shield, though as soon as the beam struck it, it ricocheted upwards towards the many screens of Project Mentum, where it finally met its end by breaking every single one of them in the process.

And yet, this brief bout of chaos only gave way to another one. Both Steven and Dipper were quick to act on sheer panic, knowing that Bill could very well still be in control of Ford and out to get them both. Dipper quickly dropped the memory gun and took up the Sword of Seasons instead, yet before he could do anything with it, Ford suddenly grabbed him by the back of his vest, easily hoisting him up into the air. He nearly latched onto Steven’s arm as well, though the young Gem had the wits about him to pull away just in time and run, taking the rift with him. That is, until he heard Dipper’s fearful struggle against the author holding him.

“L-let go of me!” he cried, weakly swinging his sword about in moves that showed no signs of hitting Ford, as far out as he was holding him.

“Dipper!” Steven gasped, stopping dead in his tracks as he hurriedly set the rift aside and ran back towards the action. “W-wait! Stop!” The young Gem cried, completely panic stricken as both the events of a particular puppet show as well as his own haunting dreams the previous night came rushing back to him in an oppressive torrent. “I-I’ll give you my gem! Just please, don’t hurt him again!”

Both Ford and Dipper froze at this, surprised gasps escaping both of them as they looked to Steven with what seemed to be horrified shock. And yet, for as shaken as he was, Dipper used this brief distraction to his advantage, finally landing a blow on the author’s arm with the very tip of his sword. It wasn’t too large or deep of a cut, but it did cut through his coat and sweater and break the skin just enough to catch Ford off guard and force him to drop his nephew entirely. Steven quickly rushed over to him, summoning his shield and tightly grabbing Dipper’s free hand as the two of them stood together, more than ready to defend themselves against the demon who had caused them both so much pain and devastation.

Or, at least they would have been if Bill was actually present there at all.

“N-now, now, just calm down,” Ford advised, his tone much softer as he adjusted his glasses, finally allowing the boys to past the reflective glare. “Look into my eyes, both of you. It’s me, not Bill, I promise you.”

Upon seeing the lack of telltale signs of Bill’s possession, Steven and Dipper both finally let out the heavy breaths they had been holding in, yet even so, they hardly relaxed. Dipper in particular quickly picked up another round of hyperventilating, especially as he caught sight of the bleeding wound torn across Ford’s arm. A wound that he had inflicted.

“I-I… I tried to erase your memory…” he began, quickly dropping the Sword of Seasons as he pulled his hand out of Steven’s. “A-and then I hurt you! I hurt you with the same sword you made for me!”

“Dipper, it’s just a scratch, it’s fine,” Ford tried to reassure as he covered the relatively harmless injury, though his nephew was having none of that amidst his massive wave of guilt and anguish.

“No, its not fine!” he practically shouted, his tears quickly starting to return as he pressed his hands to his head in remnant terror. “I messed up so badly! I used the machine on you without even asking you about it because I couldn’t just wait for you to tell us the truth about you and Bill for yourself! And then I just had to go and make it even worse just by being dumb enough to believe you were possessed by him!”

“Dipper-” Ford attempted to interject once more, only to be drowned out by the boy’s ongoing hysteria.

“W-what was I even thinking?!” Dipper yelled, his hand now pressed tightly against his chest as his breathing grew even more short and frantic. “How could I be so stupid?! Every time I try to convince myself that I actually stand a chance against Bill, I only end up doing is ruining everything and it just keeps happing no matter how many times I try to fix it! B-but… but there just isn’t any way to fix this… There’s no way to fix me…”

Dipper had just about broken down into a remorseful, painful sob, yet before he could fall apart again, Steven quickly rushed in to help hold him together. He stilled, letting out an almost inaudible gasp as the young Gem suddenly hugged him from behind, wrapping his arms tightly yet securely around him in a steadying, comforting embrace. “You don’t need to be fixed,” Steven assured, his voice a gentle, warming whisper as tears started to well up in his own eyes. “You don’t need to fixed because you aren’t broken. You’re gonna be ok someday. We’ll be ok. I promise.”

As overwhelmed by his own many mingling emotions as he was, Dipper didn’t offer too much of a response to this reassurance outside of the small, somewhat weak sob he had been holding back. All the same, he did slowly reach up to place his hands over Steven’s, more than grateful for his support and solidarity in a moment such as this. While he wasn’t entirely certain that he’d actually ever truly be ok as Steven had said, what Dipper did want to believe that he did at the very least have a chance at someday moving past all of this lingering fear and dread. And, with someone like the young Gem standing beside him to keep him standing hopeful and strong, that was a belief that he didn’t have too many difficulties holding onto.

Ford let out a long, remorseful sigh as he watched the boys’ embrace slowly break apart, but even so, he largely averted eye contact with either of them, even as he hesitantly spoke up. “Dipper, Steven,” he began rather pensively, clear shame leaking into his tone as he continued gripping his injured arm. “I… deeply appologize for what just happened. I never intended to frighten either of you. But, I can say that if I really had been possessed by Bill, then you both would have done great, especially you, Dipper. I only wish I had been more like you when I was younger…”

Of course, given everything that had just happened, Dipper was quite surprised to hear such praise coming from the author himself. But Ford’s proud smile and comforting hand on his shoulder was indeed finally enough to put an end to his already fading panic attack once and for all as it gave him the realization that, perhaps this time, he hadn’t really made as momentous of a mistake as he at thought. “T-thank you…” he said quietly, somehow smiling in spite of it all.

Ford returned his nephew’s smile briefly, though all too soon it vanished into a look of shame as he glanced up at the countless images of Bill on the walls surrounding them. “I was a fool to hide all this…” he said, a hint of bitterness in his tone as he shook his head. “The reason why I’ve been trying to prepare you boys for Bill’s tricks is because Bill tricked me. It’s the biggest regret of my life. Bill wasn’t always my enemy, you know. In fact, I used to think he was my friend…”

1981

For six years, Ford’s ongoing research of Gravity Falls and its incredible anomalies had been going strong and steady. With the invaluable help of the Crystal Gems, he had unearthed discoveries that would certainly boggle the mind and ensure him a coveted spot in the scientific community once he one day published his findings. Yet even despite this success, the young researcher still craved to know more; he wanted to know exactly why Gravity Falls was such a hotbed for strangeness, where did all of its bizarre creatures and landmarks originate from, how did such unbelievable things even exist in their world at all?

And yet, for all his wondering and all his theorizing, these were questions that Ford never seemed to find the answers to on his own.

Even despite the Gems’ vast knowledge on the oddities of Gravity Falls, they themselves were plagued by the same questions of their origins as well. Which was why, when the collective group had dedicated themselves to uncovering those answers, they all too quickly hit a stark and heavy roadblock in their research. Weeks of intensive thought and pointless leads had gotten them nowhere closer to discovering the truth, and even despite Rose’s warm encouragement and reassurance, Ford was starting to become rather frustrated by his own lack of any concrete findings. If he couldn’t discover just why Gravity Falls was so strange in the first place, then what was really the point of any of his hard-earned research at all? Without a strong and proven theory to back it all up, certainly no one would ever believe his accounts of the paranormal, downright mythical sights the town had to offer. He might as well have packed all of his things up and headed home, a thought he had considered as his hopes running dryer and dryer by the day.

Until…

In order to clear his jumbled thoughts, Ford had, almost randomly, decided to take a break from his research to go on a calming walk through the woods. Bereft of the Gems by his side as he usually was, the author casually decided to venture down an unmarked path he had never taken before, only to happen upon a mysterious, somewhat darkened cave that had never showed up on any of his maps of the surrounding area whatsoever. Curious, Ford ventured inside, with only his lantern light to guide him, only to find something that left him reeling with amazement. The entire cave was covered in ancient markings that likely dated back thousands of years; though they it was somewhat hard to make out, the writing described a powerful being who possessed the answers to all of humanity’s wonderings. And yet, despite such miraculous claims, the cave markings were also quite grave, with dire warnings against summoning this being lest impending doom and disaster strike. All the same though, Ford was desperate; certainly, if such a being did exist and was as wise as these carvings claimed, then perhaps they might be willing to finally provide him with the truth he so intently craved.

And so, with only slight trepidation, the young researcher read the summoning inscription aloud, only for nothing to apparently happen as a result. Disappointed with what he assumed was nothing more than ancient legends and folklore, Ford left the cave, eventually deciding to take a brief rest under the shade of a tree not too far away. Of course, the young researcher hadn’t expected to doze off in the warmth of the afternoon sun, but he did all the same; and as he did, his dreams provided him with what he believed, at least at the time, was nothing short of a miracle.

Needless to say that Ford was quite amazed upon opening his eyes only to find himself floating amidst a vast, peaceful space-scape, one littered with countless stars, notes, lab equipment and even journals quite similar to his own drifting all around him. The young researcher had no idea what to make of any of this as he began exploring this intriguing space, only to be met by something, or rather someone even more bewildering.

“Hiya, smart guy!” Ford spun around with a gasp upon hearing this unexpected voice echoing through the void, but who he saw was the last thing he could have ever expected. It was a being that was, simply put, a triangle, bright yellow in coloration with only a single slitted eye to emote with and thin black limbs to over the young researcher a friendly wave of greeting. “Whoa, calm down there! Don’t have a heart attack, you’re not 92 yet!”

“W-who are you?” Ford asked, his initial alarm turning into immense curiosity at such a bizarre being.

“Name’s Bill!” he introduced himself brightly with a cordial tipping of his long tophat. “And your name’s Stanford Pines, the man who changed the world! But I’m getting ahead of myself; let’s relax! Care for a game of interdimensional chess?” With a simple snap of Bill’s fingers, a translucent chess board appeared out of midair, along with a comfortable chair on each side of it. “Have a cup of tea!” he exclaimed warmly, materializing a teapot and cup to pour into, one that floated directly over to Ford, who was more than fascinated by this point.

And thus, their friendly game of interdimensional chess was underway, and through it, the young researcher was able to learn a good bit more about his new acquaintance. According to Bill, he was a muse, one who chose to inspire one brilliant mind every century with his boundless knowledge and wisdom. And with apparent excitement in his tone and a playful wink of his singular eye, he cheerfully informed Ford that, impressed by his zeal in researching Gravity Falls, he had selected him to be the one to receive his otherworldly insight next. Of course, the young researcher was elated by such an incredible offer, and, without really thinking at all, he gladly accepted it on the spot.

From that point on, Ford wholeheartedly considered Bill to be his research partner just as much as he did with Rose and the other Gems. And yet, for as excited as the young researcher was by this new alliance, Bill gently cautioned him against informing the Crystal Gems of it, mostly to keep from arousing any distrust or suspicion on their end. While Ford was somewhat confused by this warning, he decided to uphold it nonetheless, for certainly the Gems, as stuck in their rather alien ways as they often were, wouldn’t understand the contract between himself and a higher being such as Bill.

Even so, right from the start, Ford saw the immediate benefits of his newfound deal with Bill. Not too far into their regular meetings within the dreamscape, the triangular being unveiled the very thing the researcher had been looking for: a way to finally answer his longstanding questions concerning Gravity Falls’ weirdness. According to Bill, all of the town’s strangeness leaked into it from another dimension entirely, and the key to discovering that dimension would be by way of a grand gateway, a portal to another world entirely. To this end, he even provided Ford with complete schematics to such a seemingly impossible machine, one that he gladly allowed the researcher to add his own ideas and equations onto to improve it even more. After all, it was as Bill told him: this was how genius happened, and all as a result of a little help amongst friends.

And, for the longest time, that was what Ford fully and fool-heartedly believed.

So construction of the portal began, with the Crystal Gems and Fiddleford to aid Ford on the corporeal end of things while Bill continued to provide his unseen yet very impactful assistance through his dreams. As weeks turned into months, Ford’s determination on the project grew even more determined and intent, especially as Bill regularly reminded him that the portal would certainly give him all the answers he had ever hoped for and then some. To further lend his aid, Bill even volunteered to keep work on the portal going, even when Ford himself was too physically exhausted to persist. By simply allowing his muse to come and go through his mind, possessing him as he pleased, the young researcher saw his productivity practically spike tenfold, pushing progress on the portal along even faster. What Ford didn’t notice amidst his enthrallment with the invaluable help his muse was providing him with, however, were the worried looks Fiddleford often sent his way, the confused whispers between the Gems as they wondered exactly what was going on, the general, unvoiced dread between his other partners in general as they questioned whether or not they were the only ones working with the author on his mysterious portal after all.

And all too soon, they all were quick to discover such worries were not unfounded, in perhaps the worst way possible.

The moment that Ford and the Gems hurriedly pulled Fiddleford out of the finished portal after he was accidentally sucked into it was the moment the author began to suspect something was wrong. However, his alarm only grew when the mechanic and the Gems all angrily quit the project in a huff, leaving him alone with his anxious pleas to Bill, pleas that were only answered by quiet, sinister laughter and a single, ominous message: “The door is open…”

Desperate to know exactly what went wrong, Ford ventured back into the familiar dreamscape him and Bill often met in, determined to get to the bottom of exactly what path his supposed muse had led him on. “Bill!” Ford shouted hotly, rushing towards the triangular being as he lingered before a tear in the space-scape, one filled with vague silhouettes of countless untold nightmarish creatures. “You lied to me! Where does that portal really lead?!”

“Hoho, looks like Mr. Brainiac finally got smart!” Bill laughed deviously as he turned around to face the author, no longer masking his malicious intent. “Let’s just say that when that portal finishes charging up, your dimension is really gonna learn how to PARTY! Right guys?” he asked his apparent ‘friends’ inside of the otherworldly tear, who all simply roared and cackled in a chorus of wicked triumph.

At first, all Ford could do was let out a gasp of shock as he realized just how much of a monster Bill truly was. But blinded by flattery and charming games as he had been, the author had never once considered that the demon planned on tricking him, had been using him as nothing more than a foolish pawn to meet his own destructive ends all along. “N-no!” Ford exclaimed, resolved to fix this incredible mess he had mad. “I… I’ll stop you! I’ll tell the Crystal Gems everything and together, we’ll shut that portal down once and for all!”

“Ha, as if!” Bill rolled his eyes, clearly not taking the author seriously. “You really think Quartzy and those Crystal Chumps are ever gonna trust you again after all this, then you’re gonna be sorely disappointed! All the same, a deal’s a deal, Sixer! You can’t stop the bridge between our worlds from coming, but it would be fun to watch you try! Cute, even!”

At that very moment, Ford awakened with a stark gasp, his eyes wide and his heart racing as he reeled with everything he had just heard. Bill had betrayed him, that much was clear and there was no undoing the massive mistake he had made by even trusting the insane demon in the first place. Which meant that the only thing he could do now was try to minimize the damage before things could get any worse. Acting quickly, the author shut down the portal in the hopes that it would never be active again, lest Bill gain access to the Earth as he so eagerly wanted. From there, Ford quickly filled what he could of his third and final journal with frantic and paranoid warnings concerning the demon and his tricks, even though he planned to hide his research so no one could ever finish the demon’s treacherous work.

And yet, despite these valiant efforts, Bill had been right in the fact that his deal with Ford still very much stood. No matter how much the author tried to protect himself against the demon, Bill still had complete access to his mind, just as they had agreed years ago. Just about any time Ford happened to slip into the depths of slumber, even amidst his growing panic and insomnia, Bill was more than happy to take over, littering the journal with his own inane coded ramblings and even going as far as to injure his pawn just for fun. In fact, it was in the midst of one of these wild spells of possession that Rose herself happened to discover just how much Ford had really been hiding from her all along.

“Stanford?” the pink Gem called as she entered into the author’s secluded study one chilly autumn day months after their own partnership had ended. “Are you in here? I-it’s been a while since any of us have heard from you and I’m starting to worry if-”

Rose cut herself off with a sharp gasp as she finally spotted Ford, digging a knife into his upper arm as he slowly looked back at her with a huge, uncharacteristic grin of sheer, sadistic glee. “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about Sixer here, Quartzy!” he quipped in a voice that the pink Gem immediately recognized. A voice she had never wanted to hear ever again. “In fact…” His smirk widened as he pulled out the blood-soiled knife. “I’d say he’s doin’ A-ok!”

“I-it… it’s you…” Rose shook her head in disbelief, her voice but a stunned, genuinely fearful whisper.

“Yep, it sure is me!” Bill exclaimed brightly as he began to walk over to the terrified pink Gem. “Right here in the flesh. Or, I guess in Fordsy’s flesh, but since he did decide to let me in whenever I want, I guess you could say it is mine after all!”

“B-but… but how did you… when did you-”

“Oh, it looks like Sixer really did chicken out about telling you after all, huh?” Bill asked with a knowing glint in his slitted yellow eyes. “Turns out I’ve been the one pulling his strings all along! Dumb old ‘Brainiac’ here let me give him the plans to a certain gateway that I remember someone else promising to build for me way back when. A gateway that’s gonna give me a one-way ticket to your perfect little planet, Quartzy.”

“M-my… t-the portal?!” Rose gasped, overwhelmed with shame and terror at the thought. “N-no… no, you… you tricked him! You tricked all of us, just like you did before! If I had known that you were behind all of this, I would have never allowed Ford to-”

“See, that’s just it, Quartzy!” the demon interupted smugly. “You didn’t know. No one did, and all because it was so easy to get him to do whatever I wanted. Now that I mention it, that sorta sounds like you, doesn’t it? In that case, you really do belong down here with these dumb old humans seeing as how you’re just as empty-headed as any of them are!”

Rose practically had to fight back the urge to draw her sword upon hearing such callous remarks, reminding herself exactly who the demon was possessing at the moment. “G-get out of him,” she ordered as sternly as she could. “Right now.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m leaving,” Bill shrugged casually. “But only ‘cause Fordsy’s about to wake up. In the meantime, have fun dealing with the fact that you’ve basically doomed your precious planet over several times over. See you and that rock you still owe me next time, Quartzy!”

And with that the author’s eyes fell shut, his entire body growing limp as he slipped into unconsciousness. Rose barely managed to catch him before he hit the ground, healing tears already spilling down her cheeks to work on the several injuries Bill had left behind as Ford slowly, painfully awakened.

“Hm… R-Rose?” the author groaned as he opened his eyes to find the pink Gem anxiously hovering over him.

“F-Ford…” the pink Gem whispered, holding back a sob. “Why didn’t you ever tell me a-about… about him…?”

Ford quickly looked away from Rose at this, knowing exactly who she was talking about and not even having to ask how she found out about him. “B-because…” he began, deciding to finally be honest with her. “I was too ashamed to tell you about the terrible mistake I made…”

“No,” Rose corrected, offering a hand to help him up. A hand that seemed to offer so much more than that and then some. “It’s a mistake we made…”

And it was a hand that Ford only barely took. For even though he immediately came clean to Rose about his deal with Bill as well as the demon’s inevitable betrayal right then and there, he still hesitated to trust her any further with helping him in the matter. After all, he had trusted Bill and had seen where that had gotten him. How could he trust Rose, or anyone else for that matter after such a cruel and immense deception?

But in time, he did decide to trust her again, though only for the sake of helping him hide his final journal away. Later he would wish he had only trusted her more, for perhaps if he had, it could have saved him from all of the tragedy and woe that had began following him like a shadow. And yet, he didn’t, deciding to walk alone in his fear and anger and carrying one, single sole resolve all the while.

To stop Bill Cipher’s twisted ambitions. No matter what the cost.

Present Day

“Bill’s been waiting for the gateway to reopen ever since,” Ford finished his lengthy tale, his tone still quite grave as Steven and Dipper tried to take it all in. “All he needs to do is get his hands on the rift. To Bill, its just a game, but to us, it could mean the end of our world…”

“Oh man…” Dipper sighed, shaking his head with immense worry. For so long now he had been preoccupied with the threat that Bill potentially posed to himself and his friends that he had never really even considered just how destructive and devastating the demon’s ends really were. But now, it was clear; if Bill had his way, then certainly nothing would survive, a fact that only served to make both him and Steven alike fear him even more than they already did, if such a feat was even possible.

“Oh man, indeed…” Ford nodded with serious agreement, briefly glaring up at one of the many images of Bill on the surrounding walls. “I know that I might never truly be able to compensate for the foolish error I made in trusting Bill, but I’d still like to think that preventing him from getting that rift is a start. Unfortunately though, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to make up for the brief time I actually decided to trust him over Rose…”

“Why not?” Steven asked with a worried frown.

“Well, simply because I never got around to making amends with her,” Ford sighed rather sadly. “I was so consumed by paranoia and dread at the time that the thought never really crossed my mind to just… appologize to her for all that went wrong between us. I chose Bill over Rose and I completely ruined our partnership and our friendship as a result. I’d easily count that as my second biggest regret because now… well, I doubt I’ll ever get the chance again.”

The three of them were quiet for a long time after this, all of them feel rather small under the scrutiny of the eyes of the effigies of dream demon on every wall around them. In time, it was broken, again by Steven, whose voice was small, but sincere as he addressed Ford once more. “I think she would have forgiven you…”

The author couldn’t help but finally smile in spite of this, knowing that, even if that forgiveness hadn’t come from the pink Gem herself, it still felt genuine and comforting all the same. “Thank you, Steven,” he said, choosing to believe that if Rose herself was still around, then perhaps she would have said the exact same thing.

An air of solemnity hung between Ford, Dipper, and Steven as they went upstairs, largely since Project Mentum was no longer a viable option to safeguard them against Bill. Their thoughts and worries were still largely on the dream demon, even as they unanimously decided to take a much needed soda break around the kitchen table in what was initially fretful silence until Dipper ended up breaking it.

“Ugh, I’m still so embarrassed about earlier…” he said, clearly bothered by his burst of blind panic in the study. “I’m such an idiot.”

“No, you’re not!” Steven chimed in earnestly. “You were just scared, we both were! At least this time, if we really had been up against Bill, we would have been able to fight him together. Just like we will next time, right?”

“Right,” Dipper said with a small laugh, truly comforted by the young Gem’s continued reassurance.

“Dipper, I can assure you, you have nothing to be ashamed of,” Ford added just as sincerely. “From now on, no more secrets between us. We’re not the first ‘idiots’ to be tricked by Bill, boy. But if we all work together, then we could be the last. And the same thing goes for you too, Steven. For now, I suggest following what the Gems said to protect your gem from Bill at all costs. I’m still not sure how him getting his hands on it would factor into his plans, but we can only assume that if he did get it, the outcome would not be good.”

Steven simply nodded at this, still resolved to do what he could to keep his gem out of the demon’s possession. Even if he did still secretly wonder if his own mother really was the one to promise it away to him or not…

“But… what about Bill?” Dipper spoke up anxiously. “I broke the machine! Now we have no way to protect the shack or the temple!”

“Did somebody say unicorn hair?!” Mabel shouted as she suddenly burst into the room, slamming down a fistful of shimmering, rainbow-colored hair onto the table. Pearl, Connie, Wendy, Grenda, and Candy all filed in behind her, all of them looking much worse for wear with torn clothes, bruises, scratches and various multicolored unicorn fluids covering them from head to toe. Even so, they all wore bright, satisfied smiles, their mission accomplished and their vengeance against Celestabellebethabelle and her deceitful tricks achieved.

“Um… no actually,” Dipper frowned, pushing Mabel’s hand away as she playfully waved the hair in his face.

“Oh. That would have been perfect,” she shrugged before quickly perking up again. “Either way, we got some unicorn hair!”

“Also some unicorn tears, unicorn eyelashes…” Candy listed before Grenda continued, holding up a large, ornate chest.

“They finally gave us this treasure just to get rid of us!” she proclaimed, dumping the contents of the chest onto the table to reveal a massive horde of gold and jewels.

“Not to mention we got to put a very irritating, very unethical unicorn in her place,” Pearl said, crossing her arms with a smug smirk. “So all in all, I’d say it was a very successful day.”

“Also, a pretty weird one, what with that butterfly sting operation and our all-out brawl with the unicorns,” Connie added, rubbing some unicorn blood off her arm.

“Whoa, that’s so cool!” Steven exclaimed, stars in his eyes as he looked to the girls. “I knew you guys could do it!”

“It… can’t be!” Ford exclaimed, just as amazed as he looked to the plentiful clump of unicorn hair Mabel had gathered. “This is a great day, girls! With this unicorn hair, we should be able to completely shield both the shack and the temple from Bill’s mind reading tricks!”

“Is it ok?” Mabel asked, her tone hopeful as she handed the hair over to her uncle.

“Its better than ok, its perfect!” the author laughed warmly as he placed a proud hand on his niece’s shoulder. “You’ve protected your family and your friends. You’re a good person, Mabel.”

“Aw, thanks, Grunkle Ford,” Mabel smiled, glad to hear it. After all, she’d much rather have the approval and support from those she cared about then some uptight, uncaring unicorn any day. “But today, I’ve learned that morality is relative!”

Before anyone had the chance to question her on this somewhat bizarre life lesson, Stan suddenly rushed into the room, hurrying past the treasure-laden table and grabbing a plentiful armful of it in his wake. “MONEY!” he shouted wildly as Amethyst ran in after him, grabbing yet another load of treasure with a rowdy laugh and another bout of her somewhat botched Spanglish.

“Viva larga CHASH MONEY!”

Not wanting to waste any more time to risk subjecting themselves to Bill’s tricks any further, Ford and Dipper got to work, Steven and Pearl both volunteering to join them in erecting shields around both the temple and the shack. It was a lengthy, somewhat dull process in gluing the long strands of unicorn hair around the foundations of both structures, with the temple in particular proving to be something of a challenge given its large perimeter and odd structure. Even so, as soon as they were done, a magical shield, covered in mysterious protective runes and symbols, bloomed around both buildings before fading back into invisibility, ensuring that them and everyone within them, would be in no danger from the dream demon’s tricks.

“Perfect!” Ford grinned as they finished up on shielding the shack. “This should protect us from Bill. As long as we’re inside either the temple or the shack, our minds—and gems should be safe.”

“What a relief!” Pearl sighed as she placed a hand on Steven’s shoulder. “If only we had something like this 24 years ago. It would have saved us a lot of trouble, to say the least.”

“Well, who knows?” Steven interjected with an encouraging smile. “Maybe now that we have these barriers put up, there won’t be anymore trouble!”

“Yeah,” Dipper agreed, unable to hold back his own allayed grin. True, Ford had said that the protection spell was only a safeguard and not actually a way to vanquish Bill once and for all. But if it truly could give them a much-needed reprieve from the demon’s mental games and relentless tormenting, then for now, it would be enough. “No more trouble. I’d say that sounds like a pretty good deal.”

Unbeknownst to the group standing outside of the shack, they were all being watched by a familiar, singular eye, one that was carefully observing their every move from his home deep within the unimaginable depths of the horrific Nightmare Realm itself. Bill couldn’t help but let out a mocking laugh as the motley crew celebrated their success, success that he knew was only going to be very short lived if he had anything to do about it.

“That’s what you think, Pine Tree,” the demon remarked, hands held behind his back as he finally looked away from his peek at the shack. “Still, I guess if I can’t possess anyone inside the shack or the temple, then I’ll just have to find my next pawn… on the OUTSIDE…”

At this, the demon’s eye rolled back, a variable roulette of people and Gems alike, either in or around Gravity Falls: McGucket, Lars, Candy, Pacifica, Jenny, Tyler Cutebiker, Mr. Smiley, Lazy Susan, Manly Dan, Sadie, Soos, Onion, Peedee, Greg, Robbie, Lolph, Dundgren, Barb, Jamie, Durland, Blubbs, Kiki, Sour Cream, Preston, Priscilla, Toby Determined, Mr. Fryman, Malachite, Nanefua, Lee, Nate, Ronaldo, Blendin, Connie, Shandra Jimenez, Kofi, Kevin, Grenda, Vidalia, Mayor Dewey, Gorney, Tambry, Yellowtail, Buck, Bud, and Wendy. As far as Bill was concerned, any of them would make excellent puppets to use in furthering his sadistic schemes along.

And fortunately for him, he already had the perfect pawn in mind…

 Next: 

[harry-niclach]

Crowns Part 5

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Title: Crowns

Pairings/Characters: Romantic Analogical (Logan and Virgil) and Platonic/Familial Royality (Roman and Patton) and some oc and side characters that are implied to be in love!

AU: Fantasy/Medieval based

Summary: Virgil has always been alone. He didn’t believe that there was a place for him out there. So when his Mother left him a quick to turn Father he seemed more alone than ever. Now, however, someone is trying to help him, what can their reasoning be?

And more importantly, can Virgil stop himself from being too gay and falling for him?

Warnings: Panic, Panic attack, Minor Character Death, Illness, Cuts from falling, Swearing, blood, weapons, sword fighting/knife fighting, chase scene or two, Shouting I guess (No caps lock) let me know if you see more

This chapter is slightly longer! I hope you enjoy!! <3

The rest of Constance’s shift with Patton passed along without a hitch.

-^-

The sun was setting creating beautiful oranges and purples with a splash of pink and a dash or red. Patton loved looking at the sky, he loved to observe things in great detail he just wasn’t very good at putting his observations into words. Not one bit.

Constance and Patton were walking down the long hallway that lead to the big wooden entrance doors where they would walk around the gardens for a couple hours as Constance taught him about the different flowers and Patton listened intently locking the information away for some other time.

They continued around every so often Patton would ask a question about the fountains or the staff or the beautiful flowers. Patton’s favorite was the purple hydrangeas and the purple lisianthus.’

They turned the corner near the fountains to see the regal, prince Roman standing there his hair perfect and his outfit pressed perfectly as his crown sat perfectly somehow not slipping,

“Who is this?!” He seemed angry but Patton could already tell that the anger hadn’t been aimed at him directly. Something bad must have happened.

It was the look in his eyes.

The deep-set sadness and longtime grief that he was still going through, that was still plaguing him and his distaste at Patton had sounded as if it came out of a protective instinct to keep Patton safe from his own anger they seemed about the same age though so it troubled Patton that someone around the same age had been so much trouble but then he remembered that he hadn't exactly come from the picture-perfect setting either.

“Your Majesty Prince Roman, this is Patton he was accompanying me for a walk,” Constance fell into a deep bow as she began to speak her armor making a slight noise as she did so,

“I do not care for the reason he is here just the knowledge that he shouldn’t!” Prince Roman was getting more worked up by the second,

“Don’t get mad at Miss Constance!” Patton spoke up, not meaning to be so loud, he wasn’t going to let the prince get mad at Miss Constance for being his friend!

“How dare you talk to me like that?!” Roman couldn’t help but shout he wasn’t mad he was just so, so tired of being sad that he couldn’t allow this person to be here surely Roman would end up hurting soon,

“I speaked to you that way ‘cause you was hurtin’ Miss Constance with your nasty words!” Roman had had enough, he pushed Patton back but the boy didn’t move to make a move in retaliation he looked down at his feet then back up at Prince Roman,

And smiled.

Roman couldn’t continue his facade, tears brimmed in his eyes and all he could think of was his Mother and how alike her and this-this boy were. He held his tears back though until the boy opened his arms for a hug, a warm smile plastered on his face instead of a scowl or a look of hurt.

“L-look I’m-I’m sorry I-I snapped espe-especially on you,” Roman said between sobs and gasps of air, Patton just held him closer an rubbed circles on his back soothingly. Patton wasn’t much smaller than Prince Roman but he was a little shorter but not short enough to have it cause a problem. Patton lowered himself and Roman to the ground gently taking extra care as not to scare or hurt the prince.

They sat on the gravel paths for what seemed forever but Patton could tell immediately that he now had a new friend one that would hopefully stand alongside him for a while.

-^-

Virgil awoke to a light tap on his shoulder which was more than enough to wake him.

“Good morning Virgil, did you sleep well?” Logan wasn’t looking at him as they were still on the horse but the Northern Kingdom was on the horizon so it made sense to be awake now.

Virgil rubbed his eyes lazily,

“Y-yeah…” His voice was rough and hoarse from having just woken up but he cleared his throat and tried again,

“Yeah,” He managed to stop his stutter this time (It had been plaguing him for years now) and looked on as the North Kingdom grew closer, having no clue what the kingdom was actually called he decided to ask,

“I know it-it’s kind of a du-dumb question but what-t is the King-Kingdom called?” His voice was small but Logan could still hear him as clear as day,

“It’s not stupid at all Virgil, the Kingdom goes by the name of Aluasoul,” Logan’s voice was still as calm as it had been the day prior.

-

Logan rode through the streets of Aluasoul with care but with efficiency. He avoided people with his horse as they drew nearer to the castle armed guards came into view, well at least the looked armed?

The fo9ur guards standing at the gate bowed deeply to Logan but he just sighed and shook his head climbing off the horse then helping Virgil down.

“I told you for the last time that there is no need to bow like that, I am not more important than any of you,” They all rose and smiled fondly at Logan their eyes all said that this wasn’t the first time this had happened. Virgil lifted his sleeve covered hand to his mouth to hide his smirk. Logan didn’t seem to mind which was a surprise as most people did.

They walked through the simple yet still somehow grand gates and into the Castle grounds where there were rows upon rows of different flowers that Virgil recognized as blue-tinted statice and white gardenias and dendrobium. He smiled at the sight, it made him relax a little, it was something familiar.

He hadn’t seen something familiar in a while.

He continued to follow Logan down the paved grey path. He heard children laughing and looked around as he walked taking in everything and then his eyes swept over a group of about three children huddled together all watching him. His raggy clothes and the small bag Logan had given him to carry his disgusting crown in so he wouldn’t have to see it.

One of the kids was pushed forward by the group of others after Logan had walked past. She slowly waddled towards Virgil on seemingly unsteady feet. Logan had stopped in the front and had turned to watch the exchange while Virgil had stopped dead and turned to face the child.

“H-Hello, I’m Amicia Howard, who are you?” The little girls swayed on her feet nervous wringing her hands together. Virgil became less nervous by the second as he crouched down to her height he smiled softly,

“H-Hi, I’m Vir-Virgil,” His voice was soft but his stutter was still very prominent and Amicia didn't seem to mind.

“Why are you here?” Amicia had gained some confidence as her nervous stutter had disappeared,

“S-Sir Logan found-found me and-and res-rescued me,” He didn’t even try to stop the stutter this time instead he punched his chest afterward out of frustration and the knowledge that sometimes that helped with the stutter. At this point, Logan walked back up to them with a soft expression,

“Salutations, Amicia, I see you’ve met Virgil but Virgil and I have to go now we have important things to do, maybe he can play later?” There was no malice in his voice just kindness,

“Okay!” Amicia seemed satisfied so with that Logan began to walk again, Virgil following close behind as to not get lost in the hallways where many people bustled about carrying trays or swords or parchment and some people weren’t carrying anything and were running in different directions.

“Try not to get lost,” He heard Logan speak up from in front of him but Virgil had no intentions of getting lost. He continued to follow Logan through the hallways the bag hanging at his side.

They walked and walked and walked, by this point Virgil wasn’t sure where they were going but they had been into many rooms and they all were very impressive, Logan having to speak to a few people but then having to leave again, Virgil stood behind him not listening to the conversations because it was rude to eavesdrop.

They were walking down what Logan claimed to be one of the last hallways but it was still very crowded nonetheless. A group of guards walked down the hall, Virgil a little behind Logan one of the guards pointed at him and laughed then whispered an laughed again, Virgil was used to it but still wary, as always.

The guards walked past one of them slowing down just enough to catch Virgil’s bag, they pulled it right off his shoulder even though he was holding it quite tightly, they began to rummage through it only finding the crown they threw it to the floor and drew their swords and pointed them at Virgil,

“Your Majesty he is of the west kind! Why is he here?!” The guard who had taken his sword spoke with a such a tone of distaste in his mouth that it left a bitter taste in Virgil’s mouth, he looked towards Logan for help and saw the undeniable rage flash in his eyes,

“Put your swords away and stand down! I am plenty capable. Why do you think I let him in here? Do think of me as some idiot? Get out of my sight, you have been relieved from your duties until I see fit,” Logan finished sharply as the guards trailed out if his sight feeling small with their swords sheathed and their faces downcast.

-^-^-^-^-^--

Logan Snapped!

I appreciate any comments, criticism, feedback anything even if you’re just telling me I spelled a word wrong I don’t mind and I’m open to any sort of feedback, thanks for reading :) <3

I’ll put the tags on the new chapters and then they’ll also be on the taglist? I don’t know what I’m doing :)

if you want to be tagged let me know!

@jadekitten1 @super-magical-wizard @impossiblebluebirdcreation @fury-of-rome

[sovoidstrawberry]

Safe Haven (Sirius Black Fan-fiction)

TW: I guess talks of the WW

Part I

The Wizarding War brew with a new certainty in the summer of 1977. As Death Eaters and Aurors alike resorted to new tactics to hunt down each other, the tensions of the war cracked under pressure and people were slipping through the cracks. Sons and Daughters of either side were being captured and held as bait. Many Hogwarts students had nowhere to hide in this mania. And where there is a demand soon will come a supply. A haven was set up for all who needed refuge between the academic years. No person was too dangerous to hide out at the long-abandoned Murphy’s second summer home. The home was charmed to be larger than it looked, as it appeared only to be a small stone manor with vines climbing up the side due to lack of upkeep. The manor was a large place but not large enough to comfortably fit 33 people, so the haven members had long been forced to double up to save space. The haven had also been charmed to be one of the safest places outside of Hogwarts itself, using many of the same charming methods the school had. But it had one fatal flaw. While it had at one time been a booming plantation, it had been decades since any Murphy had step foot in the place. The haven lacked enough food to feed their escapees. 

"Will it work?" 

"How am I meant to know?"

"How can we send them on a suicide mission?" 

"Look we don't have time for this, we can't keep smuggling food from stores to feed everyone. We're too big for that. This is our only hope."

 The hushed voices discussed the fate of the camp. The mission now was to find a food source for the rest of the summer. There was still two months left till everyone left for Hogwarts again and there would be no point in hiding from the Death Eaters if they all starved instead. The camp held 33 people who had nowhere to go over the summer, be it that their families died in the war or were trying to recruit them into the war, many hid out at the Irish farm. One of the few implicit rules outside of safety protocol was the lack of judgment at the camp. Anyone who thought too highly of themselves would quickly get shot down as everyone at the camp were equals. The pure blood mania would not taint them. The mission plan was simple: request Kylie’s parents for some help. The Murphy’s were wealthy business owners who ran a chain of muggle fashion shops within the wizarding world. With the amount of food that they wasted at the end of their weekly parties the family could afford to feed them all for three more summers. Getting to the Murphy’s would also be the most convenient as they were the closest to the camp by far. However, the Murphy’s agreement would not be an easy feat.  Despite the fact that their second youngest daughter ran the haven, the family was well known in the wizarding world for being a completely Gryffindor bloodline. Until Kylie that is. Kylie had found herself sorted into Slytherin at the beginning of her seven years at Hogwarts, her family had been quick to voice their displeasure with her and since then favored the other four siblings over her no matter how hard she tried to be the perfect daughter. It also did not help that her perfect days were long over, and she rarely conversed with her parents and siblings as her rebellious phase in her fifth year had driven a wedge between them. Kylie knew now that she was the one at fault for the coldness of her family, but she still had yet to fix the matter, seeing as she was busy at the haven for the summer. 

“I don’t see why it is that we didn’t just floo here.” Chase Matthews stated as he looked around the Murphy Manor patio. 

The trip had been a painful one involving four portkeys and a pair of broomsticks that the two had sat upon for far too long. Kylie didn’t bother responding seeing as Chase knew fully well why they “didn’t just floo here." Chase simply enjoyed complaining. 

“So, ready to be home, Murphster?” Chase continued, messing with one of the many lion statues set on the front porch of the Murphy Manor. 

“More than ready, but we both know there’s still the better part of two months till we get there.” Kylie rang the doorbell, which gave off no sound the first, second, and third time she pressed it. “Guess this broke while I was gone,” she mumbled to herself as she took her fist and rapped onto the dark wood door. 

There were a couple seconds of silence before Chase began to speak again. “You know maybe we should-” the door swung open. 

Waiting behind the door was a young brunette with long brown hair wearing a short gold dress. Elia. Elia Murphy was Kylie’s younger sister and her arch enemy, seeing as Elia had all that Kylie had ever wanted. Elia was immediately placed in Gryffindor upon being sorted and never knew the jealousy Kylie secretly harbored since they were kids. Elia being the youngest got all that she ever wanted and had been spoiled beyond belief. She now was dating a year up into her sister's year. The infamous Sirius Black. Who now stood behind the gorgeous Elia in the living room, and beside him was James Potter. Elia’s big blue eyes widened at the sight of her ‘long lost sister’ and she immediately went in for a hug. Despite the jealousy for Elia’s normal life, Kylie loved her sister more than anything and was quick to return it. 

“Where have you been this past month, we’ve all been worried sick.” Despite the polite words seeping from her mouth, Kylie knew the we meant she.  

“I’ve been safe, don’t worry about me.” Kylie’s soft yet vague words left Elia feeling frustrated with her sister. “Is there a party tonight?” Kylie questioned, stepping into the manor and instinctively removing her tennis shoes. At this Chase quickly followed suit.

“No, just dinner with the Potters.” Elia replied shortly. “Kylie seriously, I thought you had been kidnapped by Death Eaters, you know you shouldn’t hang around the crowd you do. It’s dangerous.” 

Kylie was not surprised to see few changes to the old living room, the fire place roaring as always. She waved at James and Sirius politely, muttering a “hey” to her childhood friend and his new friend. She walked in her mismatched socks over to the fireplace to crouch down and gain some color back before seeing her parents. 

“I’ve been with friends, the crowd I hang around is fine, though sometimes I question yours.” Kylie’s darted over to the infamous Sirius Black who she knew to be a massive playboy. “But, I did come here to do more than play catch up,” she stood, her face now red from having been so close to the fire, “I’m here to see Mom and Dad.” She explained as she turned to face her shorter sister.

“Why?” The response was curt and frustrated.  

“Why does any black sheep wish to see their rich parents? I need money.” Kylie’s response is intentionally misleading as in every situation she seems to wish to put up a front rather than explain herself. 

“You can’t just show up and ask them for money! Are you insane?” Elia’s rage would be something to worry about on any given day, but nothing was going to stop Kylie from helping the haven. 

“I can, and I will, there’s never any harm in asking.” Kylie frustration intertwined with each word as her eyes scanned the room for any indication of where her parents may have gone. 

“You Slytherins really have no shame, do you?” James Potter questioned, standing up, about to deliver a monologue on his hatred for the house. “No shame and no honor-” 

“Shut up.” It was at that moment that Kylie snapped. She didn’t know why it was that hearing her longtime friend disrespect her for the thousandth time was so awful. Maybe it was because she was in front of one of the haven members, maybe because she still yearned for the respect of her family, but this time she couldn’t bite her tongue.  “Do you know what I find shameful? I find it shameful that you dare speak of honor when you have none yourself. You have spent the last six years avoiding and ridiculing me to your so-called friends, so you could show off that you didn’t care for me anymore. As if you were never scared of exactly what happened to me. As if I never helped you with your insecurities. As if we had never spoken. And you dare insinuate me shameful? I am not the one who dropped you when you didn’t get placed into my house! I am not the one who judges an entire group of people based on prejudice. Do you know who I am now, really? I am a leader. I am a friend. I am a protector. I am everything you said I would become. No thanks to you.”

[maddie-grove]

The Stark Romance Saga--Book #4: The Maiden of the Riverlands

Previous Installments: Loved I Not Honor More (Book #1, Robb Stark/Jeyne Westerling), The Iron Scoundrel (Book #2, Theon Greyjoy/Asha “Not His Sister in This Universe” Harlaw), Kissing the Kingslayer (Book #2.5, Catelyn Stark/Jaime Lannister), A Fire in Winter (Book #3, Jon Snow/Ygritte), and The Winter Bride (Book #3.5, Samwell Tarly/Gilly).

Note: This installment takes place roughly four years after the end of Sam’s book, which takes place about a year after the end of Jon’s book. Westeros is making progress, albeit slow, in its war against the White Walkers, and there has been a rather cool, brief spring and summer in the meantime. Queen Daenerys is on the throne, although she’s reached a Dornish compromise with the North, making it a principality. Dany’s doing a fine job on the whole, although she’s met with some difficulties, and has a reputation as a fair and kind ruler despite the whole dragon thing.

Other Note: I made Lord Londrew Frey up, because I have no idea which Frey would inherit the Twins after the foiled Red Wedding in Robb’s book. My other thought was making it Big Walder Frey; however, I have a soft spot for that little guy. He may be disturbingly casual about cousin-murder, but he has standards!

The Style

Sweet, drama-filled, and slightly off-kilter 1990s Patricia Gaffney or Susan Wiggs.

The Leads

Nymeria of High Heart (Nan for short), 20 years old, a folk heroine of the Riverlands. With her sword-fighting skills and the help of her direwolf, Sharra, she defends the poor, the weak, and the unprotected from unscrupulous outlaws and cruel lords alike. Dwells in a makeshift cottage near High Heart with only Sharra for company, living partly off the land and partly off the gifts of thankful Riverlanders. Has many friends, including the Brotherhood without Banners, but won’t get too close to anyone. Can’t remember anything before she was fourteen and found herself on the back of a wagon to Castle Black, disguised as a boy. It hurts too much to think about that time, so she’s resolved not to wonder about her past. Really, of course, ARYA STARK.

Gendry, 25 years old, a blacksmith at the inn-turned-orphanage at the crossroads and a member of the Brotherhood without Banners. Less angry than his canon counterpart due to improved circumstances, but still grumpy. An orphan from King’s Landing, he was apprenticed to a blacksmith who abruptly packed him off to join the Night’s Watch. Upset by his master’s rejection and embittered by the atrocities he witnessed in the Riverlands, he found a sense of belonging with the Brotherhood and with the kids who frequently mob him at work. Lately, though, he’s beginning to wonder if he should want more from life. Good friends with Nan, who survived the war alongside him and saved his life a couple of times. 

The Prologue

Shortly after her escape from Sandor Clegane and return to the Brotherhood, an exhausted fifteen-year-old Nan wanders away from the group and has a full-fledged emotional breakdown on a riverbank over everything she’s been through. She only stops crying when a gigantic direwolf approaches her. Instead of eating her, the beast licks her tears away and demands to be petted. Feeling better than she has in a long time, Nan takes the direwolf back to the camp and informs the wary Brotherhood that this is Sharra, named after a witch queen from a song. That night, she dreams about a family in a castle surrounded by snow.

The Set-Up

The Brotherhood without Banners and the Heddle sisters get together and throw a very merry harvest party at the inn at the crossroads. Gendry only goes because he lives there, but is pleasantly surprised to see Nan dancing with an extremely drunk Thoros of Myr. She’s been making herself scarce lately and, while he won’t admit it in so many words, he’s missed her. As they banter, dance, and drink a bit of cider, he also realizes that he’s attracted to her. He resolves to mash down his feelings--she obviously views him as an overbearing older brother and couldn’t possibly be interested--until she calls all his assumptions into question by saying something like, “Yo, nice ass, Gendry.” Long story short, they end up having awesome sex. The next morning, she bids him a cheerful but glib adieu before running back to High Heart, leaving him to wonder if he irrevocably ruined their friendship.

The two don’t speak again until a week later, when Gendry visits Nan’s cottage with news of an interesting matter: Lord Londrew Frey has been cheating his smallfolk by giving them almost no share of the grain that they harvest. Londrew claims that he’s sending the grain to the Night’s Watch to help the war effort, but there’s evidence that he’s selling it overseas instead. Nan agrees to help, although she’s not sure how to do it; she can steal from the Twins and exchange the loot for food for the smallfolk, but that’s only a short-term solution. 

The conversation trails off, and Gendry finally reveals the other reason he came to see her: he wants to talk about That Night and What It Means. He’s halting and awkward. They’ve been friends for a long time, he says, so of course he cares about, um, what happens to her. He knows she never...you know...and what if there’s a child, Nan? He never thought about marrying, but, well... (He doesn’t say that he’s never thought about anything beyond the next task, next meal and next catastrophe until recently, and now he’s not sure how to do it.)

Nan angrily rebuffs him. (She doesn’t say how much she cares about him, how often she thinks about that night, or how badly she longs for a real family. Even if he felt more than friendship and duty, she would lose him eventually, and she can’t stand to lose anyone else.) Stung, Gendry rants about her decision to live all alone in a pile of sticks like a crazy old woods witch. Eventually the rant becomes less “insulting” and more “seriously, are you sleeping at all?” Nan admits that she’s been dreaming more and more about the war and a strange Northern family, one of whom looks like her. In his taciturn way, Gendry expresses sympathy. They watch Sharra play among the weirwood stumps for a while, and then Nan’s face lights up.

“You know,” she says, “someone once thought I looked like a Stark girl.”

The Middle

After an obligatory “wait, WHAT” from Gendry, the two journey to Acorn Hall to get some help from Lady Smallwood, a longtime ally of the Brotherhood. They run into some heartwarming hijinks along the way, mostly brought on by the fact that Nan is beloved by every farmer, prostitute, and orphan in the Riverlands, while Gendry has one of those vibes that make little kids demand that he give them a ride on his shoulders or look at a cool rock they found. Lady Smallwood is pleased to see them and embarrasses Nan by reminiscing about when she was just a wee lass. She grows grave, though, once Nan’s dressed up as a lady in her daughter’s old clothes.

“You do have the Stark look, come to think,” she says. Nan repeats what she now tells everyone, including herself--she comes from King’s Landing and never knew her family--but her dreams are even more vivid that night.

The next day, Nan and Gendry head for the Twins, “disguised” as Arya Stark and her sworn sword. They flirt on the way, despite her determination to keep her distance and his to not renew the sentiments she found so disgusting. Once they arrive at their destination, the Frey household scoffs at Nan’s imperious claims that she is the lost Arya and, by the way, Lord Londrew better stop his peasant-cheating bullshit. Then several older Frey cousins remark that she is the very picture of Lady Lyanna Stark at the Tourney at Harrenhal, causing Lord Londrew turns courteous and welcome her to his home. (Nobody remarks on Nan’s direwolf, as she left Sharra to roam in the woods; she’ll risk her own life, but not her big pup’s.) Nan grandly agrees, even as Gendry grumbles through his teeth that they’re either planning to kill her for being the false Arya or being the real one.

They argue more after she’s shown to her chambers. He reminds her of the famous aborted Red Wedding; she reminds her that they’re both armed to the teeth and smarter than any Frey, plus she thinks they can find proof of Londrew’s dirty dealings to send to Lord Edmure Tully. Their argument “devolves” into some sexy lady/sworn sword roleplay.

Later that night, they’re both shocked when the Freys take Gendry captive (with some difficulty, of course). He has all the markings of a Robert Baratheon bastard, and Londrew thinks he can use him to cause trouble for Queen Daenerys in a Blackfyre Rebellion kind of way. Londrew locks him in a dungeon and Nan in her room. He reveals that he knows who Nan is: an outlaw who comes from nowhere and belongs to no one. He further taunts her with his intention to create false hope for the Starks and Tullys by informing them of “Arya’s” survival, and hopes out loud that they kill Nan out of anger when they learn the “truth.”

Gendry has a dark night of the soul. Spurred by his resentment at being abandoned by his father and used as a pawn by the Freys, he realizes that he isn’t helping himself or anyone else by merely existing in the Riverlands. Whether or not he ends up with Nan or does something with his discovery of his parentage, he has to take charge of his life by going to see Queen Daenerys himself...but first he has to survive this ordeal with the Freys.

Luckily, Nan has already made her escape, thanks to a combination of technical skills and the goodwill of several Freys who are downtrodden or too loyal to Roslin Frey to fuck with her husband’s family’s emotions like that. She springs Gendry from the dungeon; he helps in this endeavor by promising to put in a good word for them with the queen. Reunited, they flee into the night. Gendry tells her that he wants to marry her, whether Daenerys recognizes him as her cousin or not. Nan says she’ll marry him when he comes back; she privately believes he’ll change his mind if his status improves, but almost losing him to the Freys has taught her that refusing to care about him hurts more than letting herself love him. They make love one last time before parting ways, he for King’s Landing and she for Riverrun.

The Conclusion

Nan reaches Riverrun and begs an audience with Lord Edmure Tully, who accepts her request. As a lord who takes his obligations to his vassals seriously, he can appreciate her defense of the smallfolk despite her worrying outlaw status. Once he sees her, though, he’s bowled over by her resemblance to Brandon, Ned, Lyanna, and Benjen (plus the wolf), despite having reservations thanks to Catelyn’s harrowing experience with the false Aryas. Yet his reaction is nothing to Nan’s. Edmure’s Tully look brings back memories of Catelyn, Robb, Sansa, Bran, and Rickon. Then she remembers Ned and Jon, the only ones who looked like her. And everything else comes back when she remembers Jon: Needle, Bran’s accident, the journey to King’s Landing, her terrible final fight with Sansa, her father’s death. Edmure and Roslin take pity on the disheveled young woman sobbing in their hall, and give her a bed and some ale before gently trying to sort everything out.

Meanwhile, Gendry arrives in King’s Landing. He visits Tobho Mott, now an old man, and learns that he was sent away for his own protection at Ned Stark’s command, not outright abandoned. Then he goes to Daenerys’s throne room to wait in line with the general population, When the time comes, he publicly announces who he is and pledges his loyalty, telling her bluntly that he’d rather go ahead and get eaten by her dragons than be endlessly used as a pawn and start another war like the one he lived through.

“Okay, respect,” Daenerys says, enjoying both the anti-oppression message and the drama. She has him taken to a more private chamber and, after find out his whole deal from Varys, meets with him. She reveals that she used to want to Kill All Baratheons, but then she realized that her family’s downfall was more nuanced than she’d been led to believe, plus it didn’t take her long to love her cousins Shireen Baratheon and Mya Stone. She’s happy to find another cousin, having known very little of family, and his loyalty means a great deal to her. Seriously, he can name the region and she’ll find him a castle or at least some unclaimed land. Does he want a title? A last name?

“Um,” says Gendry, utterly overwhelmed. “Is there anything near High Heart?”

At the same time, Nan/Arya has recovered enough from her shock to be merely completely wigged out. She doesn’t know if she can handle being Arya--she can barely handle being Nan--or if her family will even want the wild, haunted outlaw she’s become. And will Gendry want her as Arya Stark? Unsure what to do, she sneaks out of Riverrun, grabs Sharra/her namesake Nymeria, and rides like hell to High Heart.

Several days later, Gendry arrives at Riverrun, which is in an utter uproar. Edmure and Roslin are frantic about having possibly lost the real Arya; Brynden Tully is trying to get everyone to calm down so the fallout won’t be too bad when they find out she’s a fake; Jaime Lannister is lounging decadently around the great hall and grousing about how well the supposed Real Arya hid herself from him; and, most important, Jon Snow and Sansa Stark are there, tense and worried.

“Wait,” says Gendry, “you’re telling me the Freys got something right for once?”

There’s another uproar when everybody realizes that this is the newly acknowledged Baratheon bastard, cousin to the queen, and that he’s been traveling alone with the Lost Arya. 

(“You better be prepared to marry her,” threatens Edmure. 

“Why?” Jaime asks. “She can do better.”)

Eventually, Jon and Sansa manage to speak to Gendry alone. They tell him how desperately they want Arya back, and how afraid they are that this won’t be her. Nobody’s even told Catelyn about this latest hope, because it will be too hard on her. They describe what Arya was like as a kid. Jon tells him how close they were; he’s missed her every day of his life since he went to the Wall. Sansa talks about how annoyed she used to get with Arya back then, and how stupid it all seems now; she’d give anything to see her sister’s messy hair and muddy face again. They’re both worried that, even if this is the real Arya, she won’t want to come back after so much time. But they would let her go, if that would make her happy.

With a sinking feeling, Gendry knows that the girl from their stories can’t be anyone but Nan. He also knows that a Stark lady is too highborn to marry a bastard, even an acknowledged one with royal connections. Still, he can’t keep the truth from her.

“That sounds like Nan,” he tells them. “Follow me. I’ll talk to her first.”

So they all head up to High Heart, where Nan/Arya has resumed her solitary existence. Sharra/Nymeria bounds out immediately and aggressively licks Jon and Sansa before going off to roughhouse with Ghost. Nan/Arya, though, refuses to come out of her hut; however, she reluctantly lets Gendry come inside. He tells her that she can be Nan or Arya or anyone else--she’ll be great no matter who she is, and he’ll love her. They can live in the woods or at the Inn with the orphans or in the castle the queen promised him. Or, if her family doesn’t mind, in Winterfell. Because they love her, too.

“How can they?” Arya demands. “You know what I’ve done, what I am. I was never what they wanted, and now? I’m an outlaw, and a killer, and I’m no one at all.”

At which point Sansa sweeps majestically into the hut, with Jon at her heels.

“You’re not no one,” she tells Arya. “You’re Arya Stark. My sister. And if I didn’t want you, it was because I didn’t know what it would be like to lose you.”

"And you’re a champion of the Riverlands, from what we hear,” says Jon. “Do you remember the sword I gave you?”

“Needle,” says Arya. 

Soon all three siblings are crying and hugging and, when Gendry tries to absent himself, Arya pulls him into the embrace.

“This is Gendry,” she tells her siblings. “He’s coming with us to Winterfell.”

The Epilogue

Arya, Gendry, Jon, and Sansa arrive at Winterfell, Ghost and Nymeria on their heels. Arya wonders aloud if she can find a way to be a lady and still be herself. “Probably,” says Gendry, “but you don’t have to be a lady to be Arya.” The conversation turns to how he’ll adjust to his life as the queen’s acknowledged cousin, including whether he’ll give himself a last name. Arya teases him about becoming “Gendry Stark,” but he says that sounds just fine to him, and she sees his point.

Finally, they get to Winterfell, and almost everyone is there: Robb, Bran, Rickon, Theon, Old Nan, Hodor, Maester Luwin, Princess Jeyne, Ygritte, and a passel of new nieces and nephews. And, of course, Catelyn, who practically falls on her long-lost daughter. They show her the place they’ve set for her at the table all these years, and she sits down with her family.

Subplots 

Twenty-two-year-old Sansa begins to feel restless after a few much-needed years of safety and stability with her family. Catelyn and Robb are both overprotective of her after her ordeal in King’s Landing, encouraging her to delay considering marriage for a few more years and getting nervous if she ventures outside the castle walls. She’s secretly fearful of the outside world herself, but she still wants to do something with her life. So she starts up a correspondence with her old friend/flirt Margaery Tyrell, who shares some highly interesting news about King’s Landing

Nineteen-year-old Bran similarly feels stifled by his well-meaning family, who tend to treat him as a child to some degree despite his physical/emotional maturity and the Very Real Psychic Shit he’s dealing with. (He and Sansa joke about it sometimes.) The arrival of Meera and Jojen Reed, two siblings around his age who know what he’s dealing with and are generally cool, make life a little easier to deal with. 

After a years-long exile as Queen Daenerys’s ambassador in Pentos, Tyrion Lannister returns to King’s Landing to be Hand of the King. He has a fearsome reputation as a killer, only partially earned, and a WHOLE lot of unresolved trauma. When Petyr Baelish approaches him with a crass offer to go into the brothel business together, Tyrion begins to suspect that something more sinister is afoot. Also, he’s not sure if Sandor Clegane wants to kill him or just really likes glaring at people.